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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24745618">Re: Shattered Reality</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beribits/pseuds/Beribits'>Beribits</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime &amp; Manga), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Almost Everyone is Confused Here, Amnesiac Midoriya Izuku, Depressed Midoriya Izuku, Gen, Midoriya Izuku Tries His Best, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reboot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:35:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>31,230</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24745618</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beribits/pseuds/Beribits</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Izuku Midoriya has a supposed Quirk, dangerous when used improperly and easily to be taken advantage of. Time begins to run short when his powers fully manifest, a new responsibility he has to take up, and an enemy that's been waiting for someone like him. </p><p> </p><p>A reboot of Shattered Reality</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Other Relationship Tags to Be Added</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>107</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Stories That Are Cool</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Izuku was always an odd kid, almost everyone knew that. Though nobody knew that better than his mother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was...strange like someone Inko used to know. Always staring off into space, and seeming to mess with something he insisted was there, but it never really was. It worried her, as it would any parent. She supposed it was a Quirk beginning to manifest, albeit a strange one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then again his father was strange in general, she supposed it wouldn’t be too far off for his son to be as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She glanced down to Izuku to see him humming to himself, some kind of melody she couldn’t recognize. He was probably making it up as he went along. He looked around and stared at some parts of the room longer than others. He was doing that more often too, and more than once he had insisted she had come to see something when there was nothing there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Truly she hoped it was a Quirk and not something else, that was the last thing they needed at the moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku smiled to himself as he glanced around the private office, from one spot to another. He could see small slivers of light around the room, there were a lot more there than other places he’s seen. He had to make himself sit still and try to resist the urge to touch and fuss with them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Some of the small lights, resembling rips in the air, faded and others appeared. Some so small he couldn’t see them but he could </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel</span>
  </em>
  <span> them. It was like being hyper-aware of everything around him, being able to feel the strange presence they give off. Sometimes they would flicker and fade in his vision, whatever strange ability he had would ‘turn off’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku marveled at the idea of it being his Quirk, what else could it be? He just had to figure out what it was, and how to use it. Then he could really be a hero!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Try to sit still Izuku.” Inko sighed and placed a hand on his head. “You’re bouncing around a lot again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, mama…” He apologized and looked to the side. Izuku started to hum to himself again and try to keep himself still. He listened to the buzz of the lights and the hum of the air conditioner, the footsteps, and conversations outside in the hall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku tried to keep his attention on that and ignore the slivers of light. That only worked for so long when one disappeared and another appeared right beside him. Green eyes flicked to the side to eye the strange rip. It hummed loudly and flickered in a different way compared to the other ones. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku tilted his head and raised a hand, furrowing his brow as poked at it. When he made contact with it, it sent a harsh shock through him. Making him jolt and scoot back a bit, he made a small noise before looking back at the tear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He rubbed his hand before raising it to touch it again. He was about to start picking at it again when Inko grabbed his arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Izuku, stop moving.” She said again, more firm this time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, okay…” He frowned and looked down as the door to the room opened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Midoriya family correct?” A round man with strange glasses sat down in front of them. He placed down a small chart with the youngest Midoriya’s information on it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Inko nodded. “We came in out of...concern.” She glanced over to Izuku who had begun to stare off in random directions again. “A lot of the other children in his class have already started developing their Quirks, and Izuku still has yet to really manifest one. Well...there is something but I’m not sure it’s a Quirk.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” The doctor looked up. “Would you care to elaborate?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well…” She looked down at Izuku to see him staring quizzically at the wall. Izuku had stopped paying attention a little while ago and went back to fiddling with something he claimed he saw. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku drowned out the voices around him and focused on that one little tear that was right in front of him now. There was something there he was sure about it, this one wasn’t like the others but he couldn’t place how. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The child raised an eyebrow as he went to touch it again, though instead of just poking at it he actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>grabbed</span>
  </em>
  <span> it. He was able to catch the edge of it between his forefinger and thumb, quickly retracting it at the feeling of pain. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked at his hand to see an angry red spot on his finger and thumb as if he had touched something really hot and irritated his skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s weird…” He mumbled quietly and looked up again. He was even more curious now, especially now that he saw it was just a little bigger. Did he do that? How?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku eyed the rip and leaned forward a bit, he thought he saw something in there. He was sure he could hear something as well, it sounded like hoarse whispers just barely able to be heard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t quite make out what was being said, but that didn’t stop his curiosity from growing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well according to his charts, it’s unlikely he’ll get a Quirk.” The doctor pointed to a screen on the wall displaying Izuku’s X-rays. “Usually people with a Quirk have only one joint in their pinky toe, as humans have evolved with Quirks our bodies became more streamlined. Whereas your son has two, like about 20% of the population if not less.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inko flinched as if she had been hit. She glanced down at Izuku who paid them no mind and continued to focus on something that wasn’t there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So...his abnormal behavior isn’t due to a Quirk. Then what is it?” She asked, almost afraid of the answer the doctor would give.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s likely your son has an issue with differing what’s real and what’s fantasy. And you said his behavior has been off as well?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y-Yes…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku grit his teeth as he reached for the rip again, this time he steeled himself and prepared for the burning sensation of the strange light. He grabbed the edge of it with one hand and bit his lip to keep himself from crying out. The adults were talking and he wasn’t supposed to be making any noise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With no other idea of what to do, Izuku decided to pull at the rip. His eyes widened as he saw it grow bigger and bigger. He couldn’t help but be excited, maybe now he could see what was making the noise and what would be on the other side. He’s always wondered what was inside those slivers of light and now he could finally find out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you’re saying he’s not well…” Inko frowned, a little bit of hope dying inside her. Izuku had no Quirk, and to top it off he was already developing mental health issues at such a young age. That was the last thing she needed on her plate. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry ma’am, truly I am. I can’t give a proper diagnosis here but I can refer you to someone who can.” He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down a few things. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a moment Izuku drew his hand back and cradled it against his chest. Tears had begun to well up in his eyes as he looked over the ugly burn all over his hand, it had even crawled up to his wrist and joined with ugly black cracks that made his skin look like fractured glass.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before he could start crying from the pain he spotted something in the rip. It had begun to grow larger on its own, and he could now see something dwelling inside. A dark figure whose body seemed to be made of shadows. It seemed more like an animal if anything, hunched over on all fours. Piercing white eyes bore holes into him, almost daring him to move an inch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Terror kept him rooted in place, his young mind racing for a solution to a problem only he could see. He swallowed hard and opened his mouth to say something, but before he could even utter a word of warning the beast came charging in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His own yell of surprise was drowned out by an ear-piercing roar that nearly burst his eardrums. He cried out and covered his ears as a loud crash sounded out in the office. Everybody was knocked over as the ground began to tremble violently and the beast broke through the now even larger tear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The monster he let out began to thrash and rampage around the room, knocking everything over and destroying a few pieces of equipment before breaking through different walls and causing chaos elsewhere. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It would have been fine if that monster were the only one and had just gone away, but the creature was only the first of many that took advantage of the hole in reality. Izuku cowered in fear as he heard screams of people in the building, the roars and snarls of monsters that clawed past each other to escape and wreak havoc. Monsters only Izuku could see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At some point Izuku backed himself into a corner and tried to make himself as small as possible, trying to avoid the monsters. If he did that then surely they wouldn’t hurt him, right?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could hear other voices, but they were drowned out by the chaos around him. He shut his eyes and silently begged for the monsters to disappear and apologized for what he caused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he felt an icy breath on his face he hesitantly opened his eyes. He lost all color in his face when he saw a huge creature towering over him. His eyes darted around the room in hopes someone there could save him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead, he was met with the sight of the destroyed room, his mother lying on the floor unconscious and covered in blood. The only tell she was alive was the rise and fall of her chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked back at the monster in front of him, its face right in front of his as it seemingly smiled at him and reached out a hand towards him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“W-What do you want?” He asked loudly, sobbing at this point. He tried to inch away but was stopped as it buried a fist in the wall beside his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever it was let out some garbled noise, sounding like a mix between speaking and nerve-grinding static. He couldn’t make out the words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shouted in pain as it grabbed him and dug its claws into his shoulder, the noise it made was even louder like it was screaming at him. The four-year-old cried and kicked as much as he could, trying to get away from the strange creature. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stop it!” He yelled, pain radiating from where he had been grabbed. It sent violent shocks through his body that made him cry out even louder than before. His cries went unheard in all the chaos.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He continued to struggle as the monster tried to pull him along, the awful noise coming from it only growing in volume and droning on and on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku didn’t know what the monster was doing to him, but he knew it couldn’t be good. The monster was taking something from him, it had to be. It was becoming so hard to breathe and fight to pry the creature off of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked at himself in horror as he saw dark shadows creeping up his arm from the strange fractures that had marred his hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stop it…” He whispered, staring at the shadows that continued to climb up his body. Where the shadows touched, his body grew ice-cold, but not painful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“S-Stop it!” He raised his voice and renewed his struggle. The cold sensation reached his face as he kicked at the monster again. He felt something building up inside him, an overwhelming sensation that sent his head spinning and ears ringing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He grew numb to everything but the iciness that settled in his bones as he screamed and unleashed a display of power only himself and the creatures could see. The tear he had created began to stitch itself up and drag the closest monsters back inside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku ripped himself from the creature’s grip and stumbled back to where he stood before. It stared at him in what he thought was disdain before slipping back into the tear of its own volition.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku acted in what could only be described as an instinct he didn’t know he had, reaching a hand out and gripping the edges of the tear with his small hands and forcing it close. Deaf to the roars and shrieking in that place, and numb to the agonizing burning sensation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything was gone within a few moments, back to normal as it should be despite a few creatures still lingering in his world.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked down at his hands to see the shadows finally receding and giving way to painful burn like wounds covering his hands and arms. Izuku stared at them for a while before finally bursting into tears and collapsing to the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sobbed loudly as he curled up and tried to hide from the world. A deep unease setting into him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened a door too wide and let something out, and this was the price he paid. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He only wished this could have been the only time. </span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. New Faces, New Places</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The warm rays of the sun shone on his face, warming the boy’s icy skin. He groaned softly and reached a hand up to cover his face before hissing at the pain that raced through his body. His body felt like lead and he was aching everywhere. He laid there for a moment, listening to the world around him. The rustling leaves, chirping birds, and humming insects.</p><p> </p><p>He slowly opened his eyes to see a green canopy hanging far above him. Lush greenery was all around him, vibrant and colorful flowers being the only things that stood out. It was bright and warm in that place, offering some kind of comfort. Though it didn’t look familiar at all.</p><p> </p><p>He grunted as he sat himself up, he didn’t know where he was or how he got there. That was...unsettling to say the least. He tried to look back to find some kind of answers, only able to draw a blank. There were fragments of thoughts here and there, scattered ideas and fuzzy images. They disappeared as fast as they appeared, slipping through his fingers.</p><p> </p><p>Worry began to set in as he got to his feet, ignoring the aching of his body. He needed answers. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Where am I? What am I doing here? What happened to me? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Hello?” He called out, hoping someone was out there, someone who could help him. <em> Someone has to be out there right? </em> Someone who had answers.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello?” He shouted, starting to walk forward. The sooner he started moving the sooner he could find help. He went forward at a slow pace, stumbling every once in a while when his legs would almost give out. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> There has to be someone or something out here. I can’t just be stuck in the middle of nowhere...right? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>That thought actually seemed rather terrifying, away from any kind of civilization. That meant he would be on his own for a long time, even longer than he thought he <em> should </em> be alone. He continued to move forward and look around.</p><p> </p><p>The further he went the more he realized there was something in the air. Some kind of energy hung in the air, buzzing around him, around the plants and trees. It was tranquil at the moment, charged almost. There was something in the back of his mind that said it was strange and he should be wary, even so he couldn’t bring himself to care.</p><p> </p><p>It somehow felt natural and welcoming. It made him feel more energized in a way, taking away some of his exhaustion. Like he was finally getting something he had been lacking for some time. </p><p> </p><p>The teen looked around, hoping to see something that looked familiar. Or a sign that gave directions, that would have been nice too.</p><p> </p><p>“If I really am in the middle of nowhere then how the heck am I supposed to get back...anywhere?” He mumbled to himself, stepping over a log in his path. “Maybe there’s a main road, and if I can find that then maybe…” He was cut off by a large boom resounding somewhere behind him. </p><p> </p><p>He froze in his tracks and slowly turned around, looking up to see some debris flying in the air and falling back down from where it came. He flinched as another explosion sounded out and the panicked shouts and screams of people could be heard .</p><p> </p><p>“That doesn’t seem...good.” He frowned, looking up higher in the sky to see what he thought were <em> people </em> flying around in the air. Shooting different things at each other, what looked like fire, something else like a gust of wind. Another person made rocks appear out of nowhere and broke them into pieces, before flinging them in a wide arc, taking down a small group of people. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Yeah...no. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He turned around and hurried away, not getting very far before something whizzed past his head and buried itself in the tree beside him. He glanced to the side to see what looked like an arrow made out of water in the tree before it dissolved.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh…” He slowly turned around to see a hooded figure holding out their hand, a strange book floating in front of them. A diamond was displayed on the front cover of the book.</p><p> </p><p>“So you’re what caused it.” She grinned, the book flipping through a few pages before stopping. “I’m going to have to ask you to come with me.” The book glowed for a moment as she raised both hands.</p><p> </p><p>The boy watched her, seeing water appear out of thin air as it began to surround her. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to run away from this person, to get as far away as possible. He listened to it, whirling around and making a run for it. </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think so kid, Water Creation Magic: Aqua Chains!” </p><p> </p><p>The boy tried to duck behind a tree to avoid what he thought would have been another projectile. Instead he saw three spheres of water surround him, before he could duck out of the way chains erupted from them and wrapped around him.</p><p> </p><p>He shouted in surprise and tried to struggle against the chains getting tighter and tighter with each passing second. He tried to kick away the stranger as she approached, looking satisfied with herself. </p><p> </p><p>“That was a lot easier than I thought, thanks for not making this so hard kid.” She watched him as he tried to get free, as if she was expecting something. When nothing happened, she shook her head and began to walk forward, dragging the boy along with the chains.</p><p> </p><p>“Let me go!” He shouted. “W-What do you even want with me?”</p><p> </p><p>The woman didn’t answer, only humming to herself as she hurried away, heading towards the large scale fight that was happening. She muttered to herself, something about a reward of sorts. Something from the generals, she seemed excited, and it only made him feel more nervous.</p><p> </p><p>He shouted and continued to struggle, writhing in the chains and trying to escape. As he panicked he felt something thrum under his skin, some kind of energy buzzing inside him and wanting out. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, quiet down!” The woman snapped. “You’re making too much noise, and if you don’t shut your mouth I’ll shut it for you.”</p><p> </p><p>The boy stopped and looked down at her, shrinking under her gaze. His mind ran miles a minute, there had to be a way to get out of this. Right?</p><p> </p><p>He swallowed hard as she turned around and began walking again, dragging him along. He watched how she moved forward slowly and was careful with each step. She didn’t want to make too much noise, the fight  was pretty close and he was willing to bet there might be other people sneaking around. Maybe some from the other side.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Would they want to catch me too? Why? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He glanced around. It didn’t matter at the moment, if he could cause a distraction and get away he’d gladly take that chance. </p><p> </p><p>“Help!” He shouted. “We’re over here, I’m-” He yelled in pain as she hit him across the head.</p><p> </p><p>“Shut up or I’ll make sure you’re in worse shape when we get back.” She hissed.</p><p> </p><p>The boy grunted and kicked at her legs, making her stumble as he scooted away and yelled again.</p><p> </p><p>“W-We’re over here! Somebody help, please!” He tried to get to his feet, the watery chains around him making it hard. He didn’t get too far when a foot slammed into his back and kept him pinned.</p><p> </p><p>“You know the generals just said to find the source of the magic surge, but they didn’t say anything about leaving you uninjured. So before you get any more bright ideas…” She lifted her hand and formed new chains around his neck, making a fist and cutting off air. “Think before you decide to act out again.” </p><p> </p><p>He writhed and tried to breathe in, making strangled noises as he tried to take in some kind of air. </p><p> </p><p>“Do you understand?” She scowled as she stood over him.</p><p> </p><p>He shook his head as the edges of his vision began to fade. If he continued to make noise someone had to hear him right? Someone would come stop her and he could get out of there. Though he couldn’t do it dead.</p><p> </p><p>She kicked him and raised her voice. “I said, do you understand?” She asked again.</p><p> </p><p>He shook his head again, getting light headed and feeling his struggles weaken. He just needed a little more time. His mind began feeling fuzzy, he was starting to black out.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I really messed up... </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Yo, heads up!” A loud voice cut through his thoughts and a bright orange flame filled his vision.</p><p> </p><p>He ducked as best he could when bright balls of fire whizzed past him and slammed into the woman, knocking her back into a tree. She fell to the ground in a heap of limbs and the chains disappeared. </p><p> </p><p>The boy gasped and coughed, desperately drawing in breath. <em> In and out, in and out. </em> As the spots in his vision faded he slowly sat up and looked up to the person who saved him. He looked wary, staring at him through blue tinted glasses. What really caught his eye was the black cape trimmed with gold. </p><p> </p><p>“Ah geez, what happened to you?” He hesitantly took a step forward, reaching a hand towards him. “You okay?” He stopped as the boy shuffled back, shaking his head. </p><p> </p><p>“W-Who...what did you…how uh…”</p><p> </p><p>The man walked forward and leaned down, holding out a hand. “Oh I see, you must be what caused the magic surge.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> That lady said something like that about me...what does that even mean? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“W-What…?” He gingerly took his hand and got to his feet. He stumbled slightly, still feeling light headed. “What does that mean?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>“What? Do you not know? Even though-” He stopped mid sentence when there was the sound of something shuffling. They looked over to see the woman getting back to her feet, growling as she glared at them. </p><p> </p><p>“You little brat!”</p><p> </p><p>The boy stepped back and looked at the man who saved him.</p><p> </p><p>“I thought she was down for the count. Oi, kid can you fight, like at all?” He asked, holding out a hand and making a bat made of fire appear.</p><p> </p><p>The boy shook his head. “Uh...no. I can’t fight.” He admitted. Eyes widening as she brought the book up again, orbs of water surrounding her. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> No, not again! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Before the man could say anything the boy took off running, a bit of shame filling him as he heard a loud shout from behind him. He was leaving someone else to deal with that woman, but that man looked like he could handle himself.</p><p> </p><p>The boy sprinted through the woods, ignoring the chaos that ran around him. The sounds of people fighting, shouts of spell names and orders. He saw glimpses of different groups of people, some wearing similar colors while others were in hooded robes. He ignored them and kept running, he just had to get out of the danger zone. As soon as he was safe he could start to figure things out.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> What a way to wake up… </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He kept running, changing directions at times when he saw groups of people. He noticed a few people within the groups caught sight of him, which only made him run faster. More people saw him, which meant he wasn’t safe. He wasn’t going to <em> be </em> safe until he got out of there, wherever that place was. </p><p> </p><p>He dodged passed trees and ducked under branches, his lungs burning the further he ran. But he couldn’t stop, not until he was finally in the clear. </p><p> </p><p>He gasped in relief as he saw an end to the trees, a way out of the forest, out of that crazy place. He sprinted for it, not paying attention to his surroundings. Just before he was finally out someone came out of nowhere, running in a different direction. Before he could stop he slammed into the stranger and fell to the ground with a loud thud. </p><p> </p><p>He went down, but the stranger stayed on his feet, seemingly unaffected by the small impact. </p><p> </p><p>The boy groaned and slowly sat up, looking up to who he crashed into. He froze as he saw another boy, about his age, carrying a giant sword with a book floating in front of him. This one had a five leaf clover and a dark aura surrounding it. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Oh crap! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Holy crap, what the heck are you!” He suddenly yelled, jumping back and pointing at him. He raised his sword a bit. </p><p> </p><p>“H-Hold on! Please don’t kill me!” He shouted, putting his hands up. “I’m sorry I didn’t see you, I-I was just trying to get out of here! I’ll leave you alone I promise, please just don’t kill me!” </p><p> </p><p>The blonde stopped and stepped back a bit, surprised the creature in front of him spoke. “Woah, you can talk...wait you’re a person?” </p><p> </p><p>The boy gave him a look of confusion. “W-What? Yeah, I guess…? Why would...Why would you even ask that?”</p><p> </p><p>“I mean you don’t look like a person.” He shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>“What is that supposed to mean?” </p><p> </p><p>“Uh…I mean you look kinda weird if I’m gonna be honest. Like, just weird.”</p><p> </p><p>“And what does weird constitute as?”</p><p> </p><p>The stranger looks around, scratching his head before his face lit up. “Aha!” He lifted up his sword and held it out. “Think you can see yourself in this?”</p><p> </p><p>He looked over the sword, seeing it was black, rusty, and covered in dirt. <em> Did he not take care of his stuff or something? </em> That poor sword was in such bad shape.</p><p> </p><p>“I doubt it…” He mumbled, despite his doubts he took a step towards him and leaned forward, ready to jump away if the stranger decided to strike him. </p><p> </p><p>He gasped as he caught a glimpse of himself, it was hard to see but if he stared hard enough he could catch his muddled reflection. He was black as night, small wisps of mist came off him with each motion. His hair floated around him as if he was underwater. Two white orbs stared back at him, below those four small dots sat below his eyes, arranged in a diamond formation.</p><p> </p><p>He raised a shaky hand and touched his face, seeing the reflection do the same. Beneath his fingers he felt icy skin. The longer he stared at himself the more he felt like something was wrong. The few shreds of images that floated around his head didn’t match up with what he was seeing. </p><p> </p><p>This was new, this was strange.</p><p> </p><p>This was terrifying.</p><p> </p><p>“What the...What is this? What happened to me?” He yelled, looking over the rest of himself. Feeling his panic rise with each passing second. This wasn’t right, it couldn’t be. </p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean what happened to you? Isn’t this some kind of spell?” The blonde asked, pointing at him again.</p><p> </p><p>He made a noise of confusion and furiously shook his head. “I don’t know! I just woke up like this!”</p><p> </p><p>“...So it’s not a spell?”</p><p> </p><p>“N-No? Yes? Maybe? I have no clue. All I know is that I woke up here, and I have no idea where I am or why I’m here!”</p><p> </p><p>The blonde stared at him for a moment before humming. “Well, if it <em> is </em> some kind of magic, I think I can help with that.” </p><p> </p><p>“How is that?” </p><p> </p><p>The blonde grinned and picked up his sword. “Hold still.”</p><p> </p><p>“Woah! Hold on there, what exactly do you plan on doing with that thing?” He backed away.</p><p> </p><p>“If you hold still, you’ll see. I’m not going to hurt you, just trust me.”</p><p> </p><p>“No offense, but I just met you.” </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, that’s fair.” He lifted the sword and turned it over so the flat end of the blade faced the boy. The blonde slowly lowered the sword and tapped him on the head. He stared at the creature before raising an eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>The shadowed boy looked over his hands, seeing no change at first. He frowned and continued to stare at himself, almost willing the shadows to disappear. Surely he had to go back to normal right? This couldn’t be what he was supposed to look like.</p><p> </p><p>He gasped as he saw the shadows began to recede, disappearing from his fingertips and slowly dissolving. He watched as the shadows were replaced with pale skin, the icy sensation fleeting. </p><p> </p><p>Once the chill was gone he let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding, He looked over himself and saw he was in what looked like some kind of uniform. Black pants and a black jacket all buttoned up. The only thing that really stood out was the bright red shoes he was wearing.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh! Woah, hey look at you you’re back to normal!” He shouted and looked at his sword. “I guess it really was a spell or something. Well, how do you feel now?”</p><p> </p><p>“A little better I guess...not as cold…” He admitted, running a hand through his hair to feel messy curls going all over the place. </p><p> </p><p>“Well I guess that’s better than nothing.” He grinned. “Well, now that whole thing is over and done with. Who are you supposed to be?”</p><p> </p><p>The green haired boy looked over the blonde again, taking in his features. He suddenly realized that he was wearing a cape similar to the one the fire guy he met. A black cape with gold trimming, and a bull insignia on the front. </p><p> </p><p>The boy looked up at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, I’m...I’m…” He tried to answer. “My name is...is…” He trailed off and looked down. He should know this shouldn’t he?</p><p> </p><p>Faint voices rattled around in his head, leaving as quickly as they came. It was faint and hard to grasp onto, that answer he should know better than anything. Faded voices said it again and again, quietly, loudly, angrily. Again and again it rang in his mind.</p><p> </p><p>“My name is I..Izu…” The word felt almost foreign and strange to him, yet somehow fitting. As he struggled to grasp onto some piece of his identity he didn’t notice the look of concern on the boy’s face. “Ku. Izuku…” He mumbled.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you not know your name?” The boy raised an eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>Izuku didn’t answer as he stared down in realization. He hadn’t known his name, he struggled to even remember it. If he couldn’t remember something as simple as what his name was supposed to be, then it was no wonder he couldn’t remember anything else.</p><p> </p><p>He had nothing, a somewhat clean slate with ugly smudges of the past that left as soon as they came. </p><p> </p><p>Izuku slowly nodded to himself. “No...I didn’t.” He frowned, trying to process everything. “Uh, w-what’s your name anyway?” He asked, pushing the issue to the back of his mind for the moment.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, sorry about that, the name’s-”</p><p> </p><p>“Asta! Where are you?” A girl’s voice cut him off and prompted him to look up.</p><p> </p><p>“Oops! I gotta go, you should probably get out of here. Only Magic Knights are supposed to be here, there’s a town a few ways away. So you should probably head over there.” He pointed behind him, a way out of the forest and in the distance Izuku could see a large wall protecting what he guessed was the town.</p><p> </p><p>Izuku was about to ask what a Magic Knight was when a loud boom startled him and got him to his feet. </p><p> </p><p>“Yup, time for you to go. See ya later!” Asta shouted as he ran off. “Noelle, I’m over here!”</p><p> </p><p>Izuku took off as fast as he could towards the town, hoping he could find some kind of help once he got there. He ended up in the forest nearby, so maybe someone in the town knew him.</p><p> </p><p>At least that’s what he hoped. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>-.-</b>
</p><p> </p><p><br/><em> This was a mistake </em>.</p><p> </p><p>Izuku wandered around the large town, hoping someone would recognize him at some point and maybe pull him aside. Instead all he got were strange looks and stares from strangers. The longer he walked out in the open the more he realized just how much he stuck out.</p><p> </p><p>His clothes appeared to be some kind of uniform, everyone else had a similar style. What they wore came across as more casual and practical. </p><p> </p><p>As soon as he could he slipped into an alley and walked away from the open streets he allowed himself to relax. He looks around before letting himself sink to the ground and taking a deep breath. </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe I didn’t come from here. Or maybe this town at least, maybe that’s why everyone is giving me the weird looks.” He mumbled, looking between the two entrances to the alley. He had a uniform on, which means he might go to some academy or something, that was possible. It was also possible he was wrong. </p><p> </p><p>That guy said to head to the town, before heading off to do whatever it was he had to deal with. If he remembered right his name was Asta, at least that’s what he seemed to respond to.</p><p> </p><p>“He said something about Magic Knights…” Izuku tapped the ground as the gears in his head began to turn. “How they’re only supposed to be there, they must be some kind of official group.”</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t know, and that was concerning. <em> Very </em> concerning, the way he talked about it seemed like it was common knowledge. Knowledge Izuku didn’t have. What else didn’t he know? The name of the town, the name of the country, he didn’t even know what happened to him. </p><p> </p><p>Izuku felt an edge of panic begin to creep into him, feeling it all hit him at once. He was alone, he didn’t know where he was, or even <em> who </em>. He was on his own, and from how well he was greeted by other people he wasn’t going to get help from anyone.</p><p> </p><p>He got to his feet and began to pace, mumbling to himself as he walked up and down the alley, never getting too close to the open street. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m alone. I’m alone and those people seemed really keen on hunting me down.” He began to ramble. That weird guy said something about a magic surge and something causing it, he said I must have caused it. Then that scary lady said the same thing. How though?” While he was walking further into the alley he hadn’t noticed the two figures heading towards him. </p><p> </p><p>“There’s no way I could have caused that right? Right. Doesn’t make sense, I don’t even know how I did it. Don’t even remember doing it.” He muttered. “Either way, I still don’t have a lot to-” He turned around to walk the length of the alley again, only to bump into someone and stumble back.</p><p> </p><p>“O-Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t see...you...there…” He stopped as he slowly looked up to see a man towering over his small form. An irritated look on his face as he glared down at the boy in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Holy crap he’s huge! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, hi?” Izuku tried, taking a step back. His eyes darting everywhere as he moved away, trying to find some kind of exit. “You uh, wouldn’t happen to know who I am would you?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>The man narrowed his eyes and put a hand at his side, unsheathing a sword. “The person we’re looking for.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> We?! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Izuku looked around to see where his friends could possibly be. On the roofs? Behind the man? Behind Izuku?</p><p> </p><p>“Uh sir, maybe it’d be best to <em> not </em> frighten the target. I mean we don’t know a lot about this guy, not to mention he’s a kid! Look at him!” A voice piped up from behind the man, sounding like he held some kind of reason in him.</p><p> </p><p>“The same person who somehow caused a magic surge across the entire kingdom. You really think someone like that is gonna let himself be taken in so easily?”</p><p> </p><p>“H-Hold on!” Izuku took a few steps back. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, honest! I just woke up in the forest, I don’t know how I got there. Y-You gotta believe me!” </p><p> </p><p>“Sir, maybe you should back off…” The other man eyed Izuku warily. </p><p> </p><p>Izuku continued to try and put some distance between them, only to trip over himself and fall to the ground. He still scrambled to get away, eyeing the blade the man held. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> This was a mistake! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“This’ll just take a second.” The man stepped closer to the boy, looming over him.</p><p> </p><p>Izuku whimpered as the man raised the weapon. He tried to come up with some kind of protest, something to placate him, some way to get himself out of there. He was panicking. He could feel his heart racing faster and faster.</p><p> </p><p>His panic spiked as he saw the glint of metal and held out his hands, as if to try and stop the blade from striking him. A few small sparks appeared around Izuku, wrapping around his hand. He stared in disbelief as a trail of fire appeared at his fingertips before a flurry of flames erupted from his hand.</p><p> </p><p>The man reacted quicker than the other two expected, cloaking his sword in darkness and cutting through the flames. Silence sat heavy between the three, two of them looking down at the surprised Izuku.</p><p> </p><p>“What was that?” He whispered to himself, allowing himself only a moment of confusion before the man spoke up again.</p><p> </p><p>“Fire magic, wasn’t expecting that. Honestly thought you’d have something a little more unique. Now listen here, I can either knock you out, or drag you back to the capital as is. Depends on how willing you are to cooperate.” He narrowed his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Izuku trembled before the man, terrified not only of himself but at the fact the man was able to cut through his attack like nothing. Every instinct screamed at him to run as far away as he could. To get away from the man that would hold no remorse for killing him.</p><p> </p><p>He swallowed hard as he stared up at him, feeling a pressure in the air. It was crushing him, making it hard to breathe, to even move. Izuku could feel tears burning his eyes as he watched the man, his mind racing. Even the flames that had lingered around him were snuffed out.</p><p> </p><p>It felt like he wasn’t going to get out of this alive if he even tried running or fighting. And this guy wanted to drag him to the capital, the center of the entire place.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> If this guy was the one sent after me, how bad were the other people who may be deciding my fate? Would it be worse if I fought back or ran? Would they be lenient if I just complied? Even thoughI have no idea what I did wrong? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Izuku slowly looked down and nodded slowly. “O-Okay…” </p><p> </p><p>At the sound of his feeble reply the pressure in the air ceased and he could breathe again. Izuku took a deep breath and shakily got to his feet, his hands shaking violently.</p><p> </p><p>The man sighed loudly. “Thanks for not adding any more to my workload kid.” He didn’t wait for a response before looking to his companion. “Oi, Finral, open a portal to the capital. Let’s get going.” </p><p> </p><p>“Uh sir, I opened a portal to get the others back to the hideout then made one to get us here. I don’t know if I have enough mana to get us back.” Finral muttered, scratching at the back of his neck. He stiffened up when the man turned to him.</p><p> </p><p>“If I wanted to hear you complain I would have asked. Now open a portal before I kill you.” He muttered. </p><p> </p><p>Izuku watched them speak before turning away, focusing on the warmth blooming in his hands. He looked down, still trembling. He saw small trails of flame coming from his fingertips, the flames lingering whenever he moved his hands. He looked over his shoulder to see them still talking. He was about to try shuffling away when he was grabbed by the back of his shirt and lifted off the ground.</p><p> </p><p>He made a noise of alarm as he kicked at the air.</p><p> </p><p>“Where do you think you’re going?” The man growled.</p><p> </p><p>“N-Nowhere! I promise!” Izuku answered. “Ca-Can you please put me down?” He asked, he didn’t like being off the ground. It made him feel uneasy. </p><p> </p><p>The man stared at him for a moment. “No.”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?” </p><p> </p><p>The man looked to Finral while still holding Izuku up. “You got that portal done yet?”</p><p> </p><p>Finral sighed and nodded. “Yes sir.” He answered, holding a hand out and making a shimmering oval appear. “This is gonna be my last one for a while, so-”</p><p> </p><p>“Whatever.” He walked through the portal with Izuku in tow.</p><p> </p><p>To Izuku it was unexpected, a harsh shudder went through him. Taken from one place to another so suddenly, it left him momentarily dizzy before fading. He shook his head before looking up to see a large wooden door.</p><p> </p><p>“U-Um…” Izuku stuttered. “Can you put me down <em> now </em>?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Nope.”</p><p> </p><p>Izuku looked to the side to see Finral step through the portal with a sigh, he looked exhausted. “Captain, I’m just gonna hang out around here. Have fun with your meeting.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Captain?! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t go too far, I don’t want to have to look for you. As soon as this dumb meeting is over I got some business to attend to. So if you’re not here by the time I’m finished I’ll kill you. You got that?”</p><p> </p><p>“Right, will do sir!” He waved and quickly walked away, muttering something about girls to himself. </p><p> </p><p> The man dubbed the Captain huffed before walking up to the door and kicking it open and walking inside. Nine strangers looked up at the loud intrusion, seeing their missing Squad Captain holding up a trembling teenager.</p><p> </p><p>“Look what I found!”</p><p> </p><p>With that, Izuku was left at the mercy of the Captains of the Magic Knights.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Welcome to the Squad</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Magic Knight Captains Discuss</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Captains of the different Magic Knight squads stared at the trembling form of the boy Yami held up so proudly. Each and every one of them giving their fellow captain looks of confusion and irritation.</p><p> </p><p>“Yami.”A woman clad in armor spoke. “That is a child.”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s what caused the magic surge.” Yami walked forward and plopped the kid on the ground. “Don’t. Move.”</p><p> </p><p>Izuku nodded quickly and kept his head down, refusing to meet the gaze of any of the other adults in the room. He backed up a bit to try and escape their view, only to be stopped by a pillar behind him. </p><p> </p><p>“That child caused the magic surge? Doubtful.” A man with silver hair glared down at Izuku, who tried to shrink into himself.</p><p> </p><p>“Looks can be deceiving, he seems to be letting off quite a bit of mana. Do not put him down just because of his appearance.” A red haired man scolded him. </p><p> </p><p>“A child that appears to be scared out of his wits, goodness Yami what did you do to this poor boy?” A masked man smiled at the man dubbed Yami. </p><p> </p><p>“Just gave him a bit of a scare, he lashed out with his magic and I had to stop that right then and there. Surprisingly, his magic wasn’t anything fancy like I thought it’d be. He’s actually a fire mage.” </p><p> </p><p>The others perked up at that, and glanced at the boy who turned red from the attention turned on him. He was fumbling with his hands, unconsciously activating his magic. Small trails of fire coming from his fingertips, lingering in the air whenever he moved his hands. </p><p> </p><p>“A fire mage? How in the world would he have done that?”</p><p> </p><p>“Unless it wasn’t fire magic, and something closer to a forbidden spell.”</p><p> </p><p>They all went quiet, the air in the room changing. Izuku hesitantly looked up and shuddered, seeing all the captains looking at him with a mixture of disdain and suspicion. He was quick to duck his head again, considering sneaking away somehow. </p><p> </p><p>“Now now, that’s enough. We’re all curious about the young stranger here, instead of speculating perhaps it would be best to just ask him outright.” The man at the head of the table stood up, silencing all of them.</p><p> </p><p>Izuku hesitantly looked up to the new voice, watching a man step away from the table and begin to walk towards him. Izuku almost choked on his own breath as he got closer and closer. The man was draped in a long red clock decorated with medals. He wore a kind and patient smile that helped set him at ease. </p><p> </p><p>Unlike Yami or the other Captains, Izuku didn’t feel like he was in immediate danger, he felt a sense of <em> safety </em>with him around.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on now, the ground can’t be too comfortable can it?” The man leaned down slightly and held out a hand. </p><p> </p><p>Izuku stared at it for a moment, looking up at him then at the other adults in the room. They were all watching expectedly, as if any move he’d make would be the wrong one. With how important the man looked, Izuku didn’t doubt they’d all skewer him if he did something wrong.</p><p> </p><p>He brought up a trembling hand and slowly took the man’s hand, getting pulled up gently onto shaky legs. He nearly fell down again and grabbed onto the pillar for support, unwittingly leaving a few burn marks on it.</p><p> </p><p>“There, now that you’re on your feet, I am Julius Novachrono, the 28th Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom. These fine people here are the Captains of the nine Magic Knight Squads.” He gestured to 9 people sitting at the table.</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve already had the pleasure of meeting Yami Sukehiro of the Black Bulls. That there is Jack the Ripper, Fuegoleon Vermillion, Nozel Silva, Charlotte Roselei, Dorothy Unsworth, William Vangeance, Rill Boismortier, and Kaiser Granvorka.” He gestured to each of the captains as he named them. The only one that seemed friendly was the one named Rill, who waved excitedly when he was introduced. </p><p> </p><p>Izuku glanced over them again and again, replaying the names in his mind until he was sure who was who.</p><p> </p><p>“Now then, would you mind introducing yourself?” Julius, the Wizard King, asked.</p><p> </p><p>Izuku looked up at him, then turned his head down. Some of his shaking had ceased and he was able to stand on his own. He fumbled with the hem of his jacket, paying no attention to the smell of burning cloth. Only focusing on the bright red color of his shoes. </p><p> </p><p>“I-Izuku…” He mumbled, voice barely above a whisper. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry, could you speak up a bit we couldn’t quite catch that.” The Wizard King asked.</p><p> </p><p>“I-Iz...My name is Izuku.” He spoke louder. </p><p> </p><p>“Izuku, a fine name if not a little strange. And your family name?” </p><p> </p><p><em>Family name...my last name. I could barely remember my first name and he wants me to try remembering my last name? Do I even have one? Do I even have a family?</em> <em>Oh god is there anybody even looking for me? Am I all alone here?</em></p><p> </p><p>Izuku bit his tongue and shook his head.</p><p> </p><p>“I uh...I don’t know.” He answered, his shoes turning to bright red blobs as his vision blurred with tears. “I-I don’t know it, o-or if I even have one.” </p><p> </p><p>The Wizard King seemed a little surprised at that. “What do you mean young man?” </p><p> </p><p>“...I don’t remember. I can’t. I can’t remember anything.”</p><p> </p><p>The room went quiet at that, all of them staring at the boy with mixes of disbelief and pity. A few of them looked more irritated, feeling they were getting nowhere.</p><p> </p><p>“Well that sucks.” Yami said, blowing out a puff of smoke from a cigarette that seemed to appear out of nowhere.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re in a meeting, do you really have to be smoking here?” Charlotte scolded him. </p><p> </p><p>Yami only shrugged and looked back to Izuku, eyeing him up and down.</p><p> </p><p>“Well your lack of memory is rather unfortunate.” The Wizard King cut through the silence quickly. “Though that doesn’t change the fact that you caused quite a disturbance.” </p><p> </p><p>Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat and hesitantly looked up. “You’re talking about the magic surge...right? What even is that? What does that mean?”</p><p> </p><p>The Wizard King stared down at him for a moment before continuing. “Well, simply put. It’s a surge of magic.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> That’s helpful. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“I suppose there is a better way of explaining it.” He hummed with amusement.</p><p> </p><p>Izuku slapped a hand over his mouth, realizing he had said that out loud. He was about to apologize when Julius waved his hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Well two days ago there was an overwhelming amount of magic in the world, as if the very essence was disturbed. For a short time the world was overflowing with magic, citizens across the kingdom experienced a spike in power. Think of it like adding to a cup already filled to the brim, the stream displaces the water and causes it to overflow until the excess is gone.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh...a-and you think <em> I </em> caused that?” Izuku asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, I believe you were found at the sight where the magic seemed to radiate from. Is that correct?” the Wizard King looked over to the captains who nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“A few of my squad members informed me that they spotted a strange silhouette running through the forest.” The masked man, Vangeance, spoke up. “A figure covered in shadows, seemingly panicked.”</p><p> </p><p>“A few of my own squadmates reported the same to me.” The fat man, Kaiser added.</p><p> </p><p>“As well as mine.” Fuegoleon held up a hand.</p><p> </p><p>The others nodded in agreement.</p><p> </p><p>Izuku rubbed his arm. That sounded like him, just trying to get out of there. He did see a few people in colored robes, that only made him panic even more. “Yeah, that was me…” He mumbled.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh I see, was that an effect of the spell you used I assume?” The Wizard King leaned forward, eager for an answer.</p><p> </p><p>Izuku backed up a bit. “I think so...I don’t know. I woke up like that, I didn’t even know I looked weird until someone showed me.” He admitted. “I panicked, but at least he helped turn me back to normal.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, I assume it was one of our own.”</p><p> </p><p>Izuku glanced over to the captains, looking over each of their cloaks. Asta, he remembered, had a cloak similar to Yami’s.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” Izuku nodded. “He uh, tapped me with his sword. And now I’m normal.” He scratched at his face. </p><p> </p><p>The Wizard King nodded to himself and hummed. The room was quiet once again. Izuku could feel the eyes of the captains on him, he wanted to hide or run. Both felt like good options at the moment, though fear still kept him rooted in place.</p><p> </p><p>“Well we have found the source of the magic surge.” The Wizard King started, turning towards his captains. “Though we are faced with a few issues now as well. Young Izuku here has no memory of what happened, or much of anything else.” He clapped a hand onto Izuku’s shoulder. “He also seems to have little to no control over his magic, which would most certainly lead to some issues down the line if left unsupervised.” </p><p> </p><p>Izuku put his head down again, only to see that the parts of his jacket he had held onto were burnt. The trails on fire from his hands wavered for a moment, as if to laugh at him. </p><p> </p><p>“I suggest that he be taken into one of your squads, to help learn control over his power. As well as offering protection, we may be in the capital but the Diamond Kingdom already tried to retrieve him once, we don’t want to risk the possibility of that happening again. I understand that this means taking on a new responsibility, and there is no shame if you don’t feel comfortable bringing this young man into your squads.” </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Almost sounds like reverse psychology if you ask me. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>A number of hands went up at the given task.</p><p> </p><p>“I would be willing to take the young man into the Crimson Lions, as a fire mage myself I believe I am qualified in helping him learn control.” Fuegoleon spoke up.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, we could take him! He seems like a fun person to have around.” Rill waved his arms around.</p><p> </p><p>“I’d whip the kid into shape, or else he’d be chopped into pieces!” Jack laughed and eyed Izuku who shuffled behind Julius. </p><p> </p><p>“The Blue Rose Knights is a female only squad, we cannot take him in.” Charlotte sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“I doubt that boy would make it very far in the Silver Eagles.” Nozel scowled at Izuku. Izuku was eager to hide himself from everyone further behind Julius. The Wizard King let him, sensing the anxiety from the teen as the voices rose in volume. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh my…” Julius watched them argue with each other. He looked to Yami who sat back and continued to watch the ongoing chaos. Vengeance sat up straight, eyeing each captain before landing on Yami.</p><p> </p><p>“If I may.” The Captain of the Golden Dawn stood up and caught the attention of everyone in the room. “A few of us are more than eager to have such a powerful mage in our ranks, but I believe we should still take into account his unpredictable power. With this in mind I believe it may be best to hand him over to Captain Yami’s squad.” </p><p> </p><p>The captains were stunned into silence before causing another ruckus, even Yami joined in.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“You want him to be in the worst squad? Of all the places he could be in, you believe someone of his caliber should be trusted with those reckless fools?”</p><p> </p><p>“What the hell Vangeance, you trying to pile even more work on me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Shouldn’t we at least ask the boy what he may want?”</p><p> </p><p>The masked man only smiled and turned to face Yami. “Well, you have that new squad member of yours that can cancel magic correct? In order to avoid severe destruction it may be best to keep those two close together. Not to mention that he’s already met you, I’m sure throwing him in a group of strangers with no connection may not be the best way to go about this.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Isn’t that what you’re doing already? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Julius snorted and Izuku clamped his mouth shut, he just couldn’t shut up!</p><p> </p><p>“Besides if we’re so concerned with losing a Magic Knight with so much potential, it would be fair to say that once he has his magic under control he can take the test like the rest.” Vangeance continued. “Does that sound like a compromise we can agree to?” </p><p> </p><p>The Magic Knight Captains looked at each other before looking at the Wizard King. They each nodded that they somewhat agreed with Vangeance’s plan. Julius smiled and clapped his hands.</p><p> </p><p>“So it’s settled then, Young Izuku will be temporarily joining Captain Yami’s squad.”</p><p> </p><p>“Now hold on, I didn’t agree to this!” Yami tried to protest. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh god I’m gonna die.” Izuku whispered as he looked at the man. As soon as they made eye contact Izuku looked away. He was going to kill him, he could feel it.</p><p> </p><p>Julius betrayed Izuku and stepped to the side, gently nudging him forward. “Be sure to take good care of our new friend Yami.”</p><p> </p><p>“Calling me a friend might be pushing it.” Izuku hissed. </p><p> </p><p>“Ha ha! How does it feel to be playing babysitter Yami?” Jack leaned forward and cackled in his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Keep it up and I’ll cut your tongue off.” Yami frowned and got out of his seat. “Are we done now, just establishing that I gotta look after this pain in the ass?” </p><p> </p><p>“Pretty much, although there are a few other things I’d like to go over if you don’t mind.” Julius smiled.</p><p> </p><p>Yami groaned before looking down at Izuku. He saw how badly he was shaking in his mere presence, the fire at his fingertips sputtered erratically. He was on the verge of crying, a normal response to overwhelming fear.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine.” Yami muttered before going to sit back down. It was Julius, he couldn’t exactly say no. Well he could, but that meant more paperwork later. Not that he did it anyway, but the mere thought of it exhausted Yami.</p><p> </p><p>“Why don’t you take a seat over here?” The Wizard King gestured to a few seats off to the side and away from the main table. Izuku glanced between him, the captains, and the chairs before nodding and sitting down. He sat at the very end, as far away from the adults as he could get.</p><p> </p><p>He could still feel the eyes of some of the captains on him as Julius continued the meeting. Now that Izuku was sorted out it was best just to make himself as unseen as possible and slip away if he could. He was certain if given the chance, Captain Yami would tear him to shreds. </p><p> </p><p>He could only imagine what kind of squad he had if he was the captain. Then again that boy he met, Asta he believed his name was, was actually nice. He wore the same robe that Yami did, so there had to be some good people in the squad right?</p><p> </p><p>Izuku had tuned out the voices a long time ago, instead he stared at his hands and focused on the fire at his fingertips. It flickered and slowly began to die down, that made sense he was starting to feel tired. Constantly using his strange ability would probably take a toll on him, even if it was unintentional. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Maybe I can control it? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He furrowed his brow and focused on the small flames, willing them to bend and warp to how he pleases. He tried to make the flames curl into themselves, it worked for a moment before he gave out and let them flicker as they wished. </p><p> </p><p>As the meeting dragged on he was starting to doze off. Some of the tension was leaving and he felt calm enough to drift off. Just as he entered the space between sleep and waking a loud clap startled him and made him sit upright. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry for keeping you all a bit longer than I had intended to, but I do hope that we’re all on the same page now.” Julius smiled at his captains. “Are we all aware of how we’re going to proceed now?” </p><p> </p><p>“Yes sir!” They all answered.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah I guess so. Just means I gotta do more work.” Yami muttered.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re always complaining about something.” Charlotte shook her head and got to her feet. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a squad to get back to. Thank you for having us sir.” She saluted to Julius before walking off. The others did something similar, thanking him and saluting before walking off. </p><p> </p><p>Yami waited until most of the captains were gone before getting up and walking over to Izuku.</p><p> </p><p>Izuku stared at the man who towered above him, all exhaustion was forgotten and replaced with fear. He was shaking so bad he could feel the chair tremble with him too. Izuku shuddered as the man blew out a puff of smoke, continuing to stare him down.</p><p> </p><p>Yami huffed after a minute and turned around. </p><p> </p><p>“Come on pipsqueak, we’re burning daylight.” He sighed. “I’m tired, and I’ve got stuff to do. Finral better be outside those doors…” </p><p> </p><p>Izuku looked around before standing up and following the man as he walked out of the meeting room. He looked over his shoulder to glance at the Wizard King one more time, only to see him disappear in a flash of bright light.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Oh great, he’s gone now too… </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Izuku swallowed hard and followed the- <em> his </em> new Captain. He was part of a squad called the Black Bulls right? Since Izuku was in his care now, that meant he was technically part of the squad now. </p><p> </p><p>Izuku couldn’t help but fear what kind of people he was bound to meet. Would they be as scary as Yami, or would they be a little nicer?</p><p> </p><p>Izuku looked up to see Finral standing off to the side of the doors. “Hello there sir, how did the meeting go?”</p><p> </p><p>“It went fine, now open a portal already and take us to the Hideout.” Yami scowled. </p><p> </p><p>“Uh, right sir.” Finral held out his hands and began to cast a spell when he noticed Izuku standing a little ways behind Yami. “Uh, Captain if you don’t mind me asking, why is the strange mage still here? I thought you and the other captains were going to figure out a way to take care of him.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t feel like explaining it twice, so open the portal and get us home.” Yami demanded, placing a hand on his sword.</p><p> </p><p>“R-Right!” Finral waved his hands around and summoned a shimmering blue portal. “Let’s go home!” He gestured to his portal and watched as his captain stepped through. Izuku slowly walked up to the portal and looked it over. Last time he went through it, it left him feeling a little dizzy.</p><p> </p><p>Finral watched Izuku before speaking up. “It’s fine, it’s just a small transporting spell. Since I assume that you’re going to be staying with us, don’t worry about the Captain. Not everyone of our squad is like him, we’re pretty nice.”</p><p> </p><p>Izuku stared at him before moving forward, shuddering as he stepped through the portal. There was a pop and a woosh, and stumbled out of the portal. He almost fell over, but managed to stay upright.</p><p> </p><p>When he steadied himself he looked around to see where he ended up, he gasped when he saw what he assumed was the headquarters. It was huge with a few lit windows, it looked like a bunch of houses stacked on top of each other and somehow keeping balance. A forest surrounded the hideout, something he was sure made it hard to find.</p><p> </p><p>From where he stood, he could hear what sounded like fighting inside the building. There were crashes and bangs inside, he swore he could hear someone yelling too.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh…”</p><p> </p><p>“Come on runt.” Yami grunted as he walked forward.</p><p> </p><p>Finral walked past him and nodded, trying to make him feel better. It didn’t do much to ease Izuku as they approached the large building. The sounds of chaos got louder the closer they got. </p><p> </p><p>Izuku could feel himself shaking, the prospect of what these people were like terrified him. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> What if they aren’t as nice as Finral said? What if they don’t like me? What will they do if they don’t? Should I try to run if things look bad? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>They stopped at the entrance and stood there for a moment. Yami stared at the doors before sighing and looking at Izuku.</p><p> </p><p>“This is our hideout, it’s in the middle of nowhere so there’s that. Best way to get around is either by broom or that guy.” He pointed at Finral. “Hope you know how to use a broom kid. As for the rest of these-”</p><p> </p><p>He’s cut off with a loud bang and the wall crumbling behind him. </p><p> </p><p>“I told you not to touch my food!”</p><p> </p><p>“If you want me to stop, you gotta beat me in a fight!” </p><p> </p><p>“You two are so loud.”</p><p> </p><p>Izuku stood in stunned silence before leaning to the side to get a look at the chaos. Inside he could see someone hopping around with lightning sparking around him, he was being chased by another guy with what looked like a bat made out of fire.</p><p> </p><p>There were a few people sitting at a bar on the other side of the room, someone was drinking while the person beside her was eating. It confused him that he saw a few large sheep surrounding her, each holding a plate of food. Some guy stood off to the side staring at what looked like a floating mirror.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> What is going on in this place! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“I-Is it always like this?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah...more or less.” </p><p> </p><p>Yami groaned and glared at them as the wall began to slowly rebuild itself. He walked inside with the other two in tow and watched the chaos unfold for a little longer.</p><p> </p><p>Izuku looked around again and suppressed a gasp when he saw a familiar face. Asta was standing off to the side watching the fight happen and occasionally making a comment about the fight. Beside him was a girl who seemed to have a haughty demeanor, and a permanent frown on her face. </p><p> </p><p>Yami waited for a while longer before sighing and raising his voice. “Settle down ya morons!”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah! Captain Yami’s back!” Asta shouted.</p><p> </p><p>Everyone stopped what they were doing to look up and see their captain standing in front of them. They all sat there for a moment before getting to their feet and approaching the captain.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Captain, welcome back.” </p><p> </p><p>“How’d the meeting with the other Magic Knight Captains go?”</p><p> </p><p>“Where’d you run off too after the fight?”</p><p> </p><p>“Shut up and sit down.” Yami ordered them, watching them all sit down in front of him. Before he started speaking he grabbed Izuku by his shirt and held him up.</p><p> </p><p>“So, after a certain someone lost the source of the magic surge.” He glared at Asta. “Finral and I had to go find him, any of you want to take a guess as to who this is?”</p><p> </p><p>“C-Can you put me down...please?” Izuku asked, going quiet when he saw Yami’s glare.</p><p> </p><p>One of them stared at Izuku for a moment before speaking. “Hold on, aren’t you the person I saw in the woods? The one I saved from the diamond mage?”</p><p> </p><p>Izuku looked over to the man who had been using fire earlier. He gasped in surprise, he recognized him. Then he remembered that he ran off after he saved Izuku.</p><p> </p><p>“Y-Yeah…” Izuku mumbled. “Thanks and uh, sorry for leaving you behind…”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh hey, you’re that guy I met in the woods.” Asta pointed at him. “Why are you here?” </p><p> </p><p>Yami groaned and dropped Izuku in front of them. “The kid is going to be staying with us until he can learn how to control his magic. You,” he pointed at Asta, “are going to be in charge of him. Because apparently your fancy Anti-Magic will be good if he gets out of hand. You’ve also got someone to help you out with chores now, good for you.” He gave Izuku a push towards them before walking off. </p><p> </p><p>“Now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got some business to take care of. Don’t destroy the damn place!” </p><p> </p><p>As soon as he was out of sight all of the Black Bulls got up and approached Izuku.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh so you’re the one that caused the magic surge? We should fight!”</p><p> </p><p>“You want some yummy food? Of course you do, here try this!”</p><p> </p><p>“Welcome to the Black Bulls little man.”</p><p> </p><p>Someone was talking, but Izuku couldn’t make out what he was saying. He was too quiet, but Izuku was sure he heard something about friends.</p><p> </p><p>A man thrust a picture into his face. “This is my sister Marie, doesn’t she look like an angel? Touch her and you’ll die, do you hear me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Who are you exactly, are you supposed to be a noble or some commoner?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, be nice Noelle. Anyway, nice to see ya again Izuku!”</p><p> </p><p>Izuku laughed nervously and took a step back, only for them to follow after. He could hear them firing off questions and greetings, unable to answer before they jumped to something else. At some point their voices began to meld together into a cacophony of noise.</p><p> </p><p>“U-Uh, I’m…”</p><p> </p><p>He backed up until he accidentally bumped into Finral. Izuku shot him a look of confusion and pleading before Finral cleared his throat. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey guys, maybe we should give him a little bit of space. I think it’s been a pretty big day for him. You know, with running around in a forest full of Diamond Mages, dealing with Captain Yami who wasn’t in a good mood…”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah sure, whatever Finral.” One of them rolled their eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, I’m your superior!” </p><p> </p><p>Izuku watched them speak for a moment before making an attempt to slip away, not to leave the building. Just to get somewhere a little quieter and gather himself, he ended up bumping into a tall figure. Izuku looked up to see a giant man blowing out smoke and staring down at him.</p><p> </p><p>“H-Hi?” Izuku gave a small wave.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s just Grey, he’s a little weird, he doesn’t talk much.” One of the others told him. The fire guy.</p><p> </p><p>“O-Oh uh…” Izuku looked at him before looking away. </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe we should introduce ourselves.” The woman who had been drinking earlier pointed out. “There are a lot of us and something tells me the little guy doesn’t know our names yet.” She hiccuped and took another drink.</p><p> </p><p>“Well at least he knows my name.” Asta smiled. “So I guess I can introduce you to everyone.” </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, that’d be nice.” Izuku mumbled. </p><p> </p><p>Asta nodded and started pointing at their squadmates. “That’s Magna, he’s got some pretty cool fire magic, and that’s Luck. He likes to fight with Magna, and pretty much everyone. The one eating is Charmy, and the one drinking is Vanessa.” He put his arm around Izuku and turned so they were looking at the rest of them. “Magna already said that he’s Grey, he doesn’t talk a lot so yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>Grey only responded with another plume of smoke.</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve already met Finral and Captain Yami. That’s Gordon, it’s hard to hear him talk.” The referenced member gave a small wave at Izuku. “That guy is Gauche, he usually talks about his sister. Then that’s Noelle!” He gestured to a girl with pigtails.</p><p> </p><p>“Why did you introduce me last?” She frowned. “And it’s not just Noelle, I am Noelle Silva, a royal.” She huffed and threw one of her pigtails over her shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>Izuku leaned towards Asta. “What does that mean?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>“That she comes from a royal family. Apparently there are three if I remember right.” He shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean, ‘what does that mean’?” She scoffed. “Everyone knows about the royals, at least everyone who isn’t some peasant insect.” She glared at Asta. “And who exactly are <em> you </em> supposed to be anyway?”</p><p> </p><p>Right then and there, Izuku decided she was someone to avoid unless told otherwise. </p><p> </p><p>“Uh...well, my name is Izuku.” He kept his eyes trained on the floor as he nervously tugged at his hair. </p><p> </p><p>“No last name kiddo?” Vanessa looked over. “You an orphan like Asta over here?” </p><p> </p><p>Izuku bit his lip. “Well uh, I don’t know. I might have one, but I’m not sure.” </p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean by that?” Magna raised an eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>“W-Well…I don’t really know.” He hesitantly looked up to the rest of them. “I can’t remember anything.”</p><p> </p><p>There was a moment of silence before the Hideout erupted into shouts of concern and questions. </p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean you can’t remember!”</p><p>
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  <b>-.-</b>
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</p><p>On the border of the Clover Kingdom where the battle earlier that day had taken place, a ripple began to surge through the world. The air shifted and crackled with energy as the barely healed tear in reality began to pulse. </p><p> </p><p>The woods fell silent as the tear began to force itself open, something inside tearing at it desperately before a clawed hand tore through and grasped the edge of the rift. The being inside tore at the fabric, letting in a stream of energy from the void between worlds.</p><p> </p><p>He dragged himself through and stepped into the reality that was new to him. He panted and looked around as he felt the rip behind him slowly begin to mend. He didn’t care enough to fix it himself, not when he had someone to look for.</p><p> </p><p>He grinned as he looked up at the new sky, the wind blowing his shadowy hair behind him like a cape. He looked at his hands and saw his form begin to flicker, he silently slipped in between the fabric of that reality to survive. Through the warped space, the creature walked out of the woods and towards where he was sure his dear friend was, with a grin on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Finally, it’s about time you woke up.”</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Grimoires and Chores</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Izuku's first day as a Black Bull</p>
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  <em>
    <span>He was falling.</span>
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    <span>Falling.</span>
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    <span>Farther and farther down where death awaited. He reached up towards the sky, to beg for help, for someone to save him. Only to see a stranger grinning down at him.</span>
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  <b>
    <em>Yo̸͎̮͐̄u̵̬͖̫̼͛̄ ̵̧͈͠ͅa̵͎̾͑̅s̷̻̭̹̖̆k̵̯̎e̴̲͎̦̒̈́ḑ̷̒͘͝ ̶͖͛̾̍͑f̷̛̠̾ọ̶͔̊̓͘͝r̷͎̟̆̔͆ ̴̧̥̓̎̎͘m̷͎͚̞̦̆͐̚y̷͇̻͊̾̓͝ ̸͖̄͝͝h̷͍́ë̴̢͖̯̯́̋̐̈́l̶̬͆p̶̡͇͇̀,̵̺͑̄̎͂ ̵̱͔̇͑d̵̒ͅį̶̫̄̍d̶͚̜͋͠͝n̵̝̐̽'̸̡͚̈́t̶̼͗ ̵̡̉y̶̧̛̘̫̭͝o̵͖͇̺̤̾u̷̡͊̓̕?̵͍͇̎̂</em>
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  <span>Izuku yelled as he sat up, panting and feeling around his body for any injuries. He could only feel the aching bruises and sore areas from the day before. When he was sure he was still in one piece he groaned and threw himself back on the bed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He laid there for a while, focusing on his heart beat while a tingling sensation just beneath his skin began to fade. He had a weird dream, but it was fading. He could only remember the feeling of falling, and the terror it brought. There was something else, he was sure of it, but he couldn’t quite grasp it.</span>
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  <em>
    <span>It was just a dream…what time is it anyway?</span>
  </em>
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  <span>He was about to disregard the last thought and head back to sleep when the door to his room slammed open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good morning!” Asta shouted. “Rise and shine Izuku, we’ve got some work to do!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Izuku could respond, a random book smacked the blonde in the face and sent him to the ground. “Can you shut up? Some of us are still trying to sleep!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku watched as he got up and laughed. “Sorry about that, I’ll try to be a little quieter.” He waited until a door shut before turning back to Izuku. “So, you ready to get started for the day?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Can I have a few minutes to wake up first?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure! I’ll meet ya in the common room. Just give a shout if you get lost, I’ll try my best to find ya.” He waved before walking off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku waited until he was gone before sitting up and taking a look around the room. He stared at a wall as he tried to remember how exactly he got to the small room that was now his own. He could remember bits and pieces, everything started to get fuzzy after he explained how he couldn’t remember anything. Needless to say that made almost everyone concerned. It made his head spin to remember the bombardment of questions, trying to see how much he remembered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the end he could only give the same disappointing answer. He only knew his name and he had fire magic. Everything else he could only draw a blank.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku sighed and dragged himself out of bed, grabbing his black jacket before making his way out into the hallway. He looked around the dull stone walls, trying to remember which way he came last night. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This place can’t be that big can it?” He muttered, before remembering the giant structure he saw before even stepping inside the base. “But it can…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he walked through the halls he was certain that he passed the same corridor at least three times, before turning in a different direction. He made a few turns before coming to a set of stairs that headed down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>At least it’s a different direction.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku yawned and followed the stairs down, it was a little darker than the rest of the halls but overhead lamps kept it lit enough. He eventually came to an old door at the bottom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hopefully I’m at the right place.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku opened the door to a dark dungeon. The room was empty save for a small table off to the side and a giant cage covering an entire wall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god…” He muttered. “They have a dungeon?” He stepped inside and looked around. “They have a dungeon! What kind of place is this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As if to answer his question, a large rumble filled the room. From the cage he could see three pairs of glowing eyes appear and hone in on him. Loud growls and snarls filled the room as the beasts pressed against the bars of their cage. One of them began to howl and beat against the bars when Izuku ran out and slammed the door behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, note to self. Don’t make anyone angry or I might end up in there!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku ran up the stairs and turned a corner, determined to get as far away as possible until he crashed into someone. Both of them fell to the ground with a loud thud.\.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“O-Ow...oh I’m so sorry I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Watch where you’re going!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked up to see Noelle getting up from the ground, giving him a scowl. “Honestly, do you not know how to pay attention? What is the matter with you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-I’m sorry! Really I am I just...I was trying to get out of there and I didn’t see you and…” Izuku looked down as he slowly got to his feet. “I’m kinda lost.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Clearly.” She huffed, flipping her hair before walking away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“H-Hold on, do you know where the common room is? I’m supposed to meet Asta there and well…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noelle stopped before looking over her shoulder. “Oh that’s right, you’re supposed to help him out with chores aren’t you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Can’t exactly do that if I’m, well, lost.” He laughed nervously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two stared at each other before Noelle sighed. “I suppose I can take you there, I was heading over there anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, thank you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>WIthout another word she started walking, and Izuku followed, making sure to keep some distance between them. They walked in silence for a bit, sometimes making awkward glances at each other. Noelle was someone he wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>avoid</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but since he was a member of the squad that was going to be pretty hard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku thought back to some of what he had learned the night before, something about her being a royal. Maybe he could start with that, he was pretty much clueless in everything else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey so, you’re a royal right?” Izuku asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, and what about it?” She glared at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku rubbed his arm. “There are three right? You’re a part of the Silva one, so what are the other two?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He paused when she stopped walking, she watched him for a moment before huffing and continuing. “That’s right, you have no memory, figures. Oh well, at least you have someone to tell you about these things. Who better than a royal?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I mean that’s kind of why I asked you…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There are three houses, House Silva, which I am a part of. Then there is House Vermillion and House Kira. We all live within the Clover Castle, at least those of us who aren’t Magic Knights, we tend to stay at our squad’s headquarters.” She looked over her shoulder to see him nodding, at least he was listening. “Royal families are born with a great amount of magic energy, much more than regular common folk or peasants, like you.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku flinched. Were all Royals this mean?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you have a lot of magic, that must mean you’re really strong.” He muttered. “If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of magic do you use? Do royals usually have like a set kind of magic element, or is it more that you decide what it is and develop it or…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sure talk a lot don’t you?” She raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, s-sorry!” He waved his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noelle rolled her eyes. “You’re born with your magic, you don’t necessarily decide what kind you use. That goes for everyone, but for royals we usually have notable magics. Like my family, we fall within the water aspect, except for my oldest brother who has Mercury Magic. You develop your magic by training with it, and you can access more complex spells with your Grimoire.” She stopped when they reached the common area.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does that all make sense?” She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah it does...and uh one more question…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, what is it?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s a Grimoire?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stared at him until Asta took notice and walked over to them. “Hey guys, about time you got here. You end up getting lost?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I had to bring him here because he’s clueless.” Noelle shook her head. “No matter, he’s your responsibility isn’t he? Well, here he is. Have fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for bringing him Noelle.” Asta waved as she walked away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, and explain to him what a Grimoire is, apparently he doesn’t know what that is either.” She shouted over her shoulder before leaving the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two stood there for a moment before Izuku spoke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s certainly...nice.” Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who Noelle? Yeah, she’s nice, you just have to get to know her.” Asta hummed. “I know she comes off as pretty harsh, but she means well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Does she really?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She does.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku groaned and slapped a hand over his mouth while Asta laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, she said to tell you what a Grimoire is? You don’t remember that either do you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shook his head. “No, sorry about that…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey it’s no problem, you lost your memory so obviously you’re not gonna know everything. But you’re with me now, so I guess I’ll explain everything as best I can. But for now, let’s get to work. The sooner we finish the more we can talk about!” He shouted. “Since there are two of us we can divide most of it in half.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta walked into a hall and opened a random door, which was revealed to be a closet. “How about you dust and clean the kitchen, while I do the floors, feed Captain Yami’s pets, and then we can both do laundry. How does that sound?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shrugged. “I don’t really have any complaints so…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He grabbed the towels and duster Asta handed him and looked around. How hard could it be to dust the hideout?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>-.-</b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The answer was, it was hard. Very, </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> hard, especially since it was so easy to get lost in the changing halls. Almost an hour into chores, Izuku was certain he had gotten almost nothing done. He thought he ended up in the same room at least three times.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe this…” Izuku muttered as he closed a door. “How the heck do you navigate this place?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He walked down the halls and opened every door he found. At least half of them were rooms he already dusted, even so it seemed like they were covered in a new layer of dust. It was frustrating to say the least. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was glad he already cleaned the kitchen, at least that was one thing done. He almost feared going back to the kitchen and finding it a mess. He wouldn’t doubt that could happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku sighed while opening another door. “Please don’t be covered in dust…” He muttered, opening the door to see he was back in some kind of storage room. “This place again, you have to be kidding me.” He frowned and stepped inside, looking over the different shelves. Thankfully they were clean...for now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku sighed and looked around the room, about to leave when he noticed a mirror in the corner of the room. He looked around to make sure he wasn’t in anyone’s bedroom before walking over to it. It was old and had a few cracks along the edges. Just something taking up space in a room for storage. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he approached it he realized this was his first time looking at himself. He had no idea what he looked like. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the mirror staring back was by all means a stranger. A teenager with messy green curls like an untamed bush that almost came down to his shoulders. His eyes were green as well with a ring of amber around his pupils. There wasn’t much else noticeable about him other than his freckles that made a perfect diamond shape. He was by all means pretty plain. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stepped closer and put a hand on the cracked glass. As he looked at himself he felt something ring in the back of his mind, faint flickers of memories. Nothing concrete, just hazy images of himself. Though the more he stared the more he couldn't help but feel like something else was itching at the back of his mind. Someone, he looked like </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> but he couldn’t place it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wanted to dig through his mind for answers, but there was nothing to look through. Just an empty space with almost nothing inside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door slammed open and Izuku shouted in surprise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Izuku! I-oh, hey you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku held his chest and panted before looking up at Asta. “D-Don’t do that! You scared me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sorry.” He walked over to Izuku. “Whatcha lookin’ at?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shook his head and looked to the side. “N-Nothing, just saw this mirror. Kinda realized that I didn’t know what I looked like so...yeah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta looked at him and shrugged, “Guess you know now, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Izuku looked at the mirror again before turning away. “So uh, did you finish your half of the chores?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yup! Floors are done, and Captain Yami’s pets are fed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to assume that’s why you smell…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta laughed. “Yeah, they almost eat me too while I’m feeding them. I swear I think they do it on purpose.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shot him a look. “What do you mean they almost eat you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean they almost eat me.” He shrugged and walked out of the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just how big are his pets?” Izuku followed him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta hummed and looked up. “Pretty big.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is not a good answer!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean I think it is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But it isn’t!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two playfully bickered as they made their way to the common room, everyone else had woken up and was starting their day. They all looked up at the arguing pair as they made their way through.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Listen, they’re pretty big. Next time I can show you when I feed them.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If they’re that big I don’t think I wanna go anywhere </span>
  <em>
    <span>near </span>
  </em>
  <span>them!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta patted his shoulder. “Hey they might like you, for all you know maybe they won’t try and eat you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked down at the slightly shorter boy. “I know you’re trying to be reassuring, but you’re not doing a very good job of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah I can see that.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well well well…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two looked up to see Vanessa giving them a small wave. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Vanessa.” Asta greeted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey kiddo.” She smiled, then looked over to Izuku. “And how are you settling in?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’m okay!” Izuku answered. “Still keep getting turned around in this place…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll get used to it bud.” Magna said as he passed by. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, don’t worry. Soon enough you’ll know this place like the back of your hand.” Asta assured him. “Anyway, we’re gonna finish up the rest of the chores, and then it’s on to training!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Training?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I mean how else are we gonna help you with your magic?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked down, feeling a nervous heat appear around his hands. For just a little he forgot about his fire, and how reactive it was to his emotions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You two shouldn’t train on an empty stomach!” Charmy spoke up as she stood at the main table. “I’ll have breakfast done in no time!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks Charmy.” Asta nodded. “Come on, let’s do the laundry real quick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Izuku followed Asta outside he couldn’t help but feel everyone’s eyes on him. A twinge of nervousness settled in his stomach, and he gulped down the lump in his throat. He was just a new person, there wasn’t much reason to stare at him...well there </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But it didn’t make him any less uncomfortable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>-.-</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So a Grimoire is basically a book that’s special to each person, and it gives you more powerful spells. Am I getting that right?” Izuku hung up another shirt to dry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, pretty much.” Asta tossed him another shirt. Thankfully there wasn’t too much to wash this time around, so it was easy to get through everything. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You get yours in a place called the Grimoire Tower, where they’re all stored up and stuff. Once you turn 15 you get your Grimoire.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku turned to look at him. “Oh, so do you get it on your birthday or something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta shook his head. “Nope, there are Ceremonies you go to. They’re held in certains times of the year.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku frowned. “What if you miss it? Can you still go, just to get it by yourself?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta opened his mouth then stopped. “Uh, I actually don’t know. I think you can?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stared at the shirt he hung up. “But you don’t know, so there’s a possibility you can’t. So, in the scenario I have a Grimoire, I might not be able to even get it until way later.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta looked up at that. “Oh yeah, you don’t have a Grimoire do you?” He asked. “Or did you have one already or...not? I mean I think you would, since you caused that magic surge and all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well if I did I don’t have it anymore, but...I meant what if I didn’t?” Izuku looked over. “What if I never </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> a Grimoire?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta stared at him for a minute before looking up. “That’d be insane, I mean I can only imagine what kind of magic power you’d need to cause a magic surge </span>
  <em>
    <span>without</span>
  </em>
  <span> a Grimoire. From what everyone says it had to be crazy, everyone got a spike in power. It was pretty cool to see!” He tossed a pair of pants over to Izuku.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, that’s true huh…” He shuffled over to the side. “Say, I meant to ask earlier, but what </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> your magic anyway? I mean you helped cancel out whatever happened to me in the forest, does that mean you have some sort of nullification magic?” He put a hand on his chin. “Or maybe a type of draining magic, if that’s the case would you be able to use up what you drain from others at a later date?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey uh, you’re starting to mumble there. Can’t really hear ya.” Asta got the last bit of clothes and walked over to Izuku, hanging up the rest by himself and listening to Izuku rant to himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If that’s the case would you be able store multiple magic types to use for later? Actually that begs the question just how many types of magic are out there? I’ve only seen a few but I mean there has to be more than that, and that further begs the question what kind of magic exists and how has it evolved to such a state it’s at now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Izuku!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gah!” Izuku stepped back and looked over to Asta. “Oh...sorry about that. I guess I kind of lost in my head there huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine, I guess it helps to think out loud. I mean that’s what the Father would do sometimes. Anyway, you were kinda on the right track.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku watched him hang up the rest of his clothes before Asta turned to him and pulled out a book from the bag that hung around his waist. It looked like an old and dirty book, like it had been put through the wringer. He couldn’t help but notice that it had a five leaf clover on the cover. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So the thing is, I actually don’t have any magic.” Asta held up his book. “But I got a Grimoire anyway, see?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to look at it. “You don’t have any magic?” He asked. “Then what exactly </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> your...magic?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh well that’s easy. I’ve got Anti-Magic!” He held up his Grimoire proudly. “I can cancel out any magic with my sword, here wanna see?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku watched as a red glow took over the book as it began to float on its own. It flipped open on its own to a page with strange markings. Asta grabbed the hilt of a sword from the book and pulled it out to reveal the massive sword he saw in the forest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Woah…” Izuku marvelled at it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now try using your magic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shot him a look. “You really think that’s a good idea?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well I mean I’m right here. What could go wrong?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A lot, a lot could go wrong.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So that’s a no then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stared at the sword before looked down at his hands. Last time he used his magic, it was reacting to his fear, his stress. He felt it earlier when the others were staring, but nothing came out. He was afraid to lose control, especially after he attacked the Captain yesterday without meaning to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Someone’s here to cancel it out, so it should be okay. Right?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku took a deep breath and concentrated. He could feel the magic under his skin, flowing throughout his body and buzzing. He focused on his hands, feeling a warmth blooming in his palms. He poured more energy into them, and saw flames slowly encompassing his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was about to jerk away in panic, only to find that the fire wasn’t hurting him. If anything it was more of a comfortable warmth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See? Not so bad.” Asta said. “Now, wanna see me cancel it out?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, sure. I guess…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta moved over and lifted his sword, gently tapping his hands with the edge of the blade. Instantly the flames were snuffed out, the magic Izuku had been focusing there was gone. Like it had just been cut through. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Woah, it really does cancel out magic.” He muttered. “That’s amazing, and so useful. You’re good in pretty much every fight! You’d work in both offensive and defensive positions!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta grinned. “Thanks! Your magic is pretty cool too, I know you don’t have a Grimoire but I’m sure you can still do some pretty cool stuff.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not so sure about that…” Izuku scratched at his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw come on, don’t talk like that! That was pretty cool, especially for your first try.” Asta lightly punched his arm. “Think of all the awesome stuff you’ll be able to do when you practice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, you’re gonna train after breakfast huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>We’re</span>
  </em>
  <span> gonna train!” He corrected Izuku.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two began to put everything away, settling into a comfortable silence as they made their way inside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was chaos inside, people talking to each other in raised voices and cutting into conversations. They were sitting over by the bar, eating food that was brought over by large sheep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You guys have magic sheep?” Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, that’s just Charmy’s magic.” Asta shrugged. “She makes really good food!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku followed Asta and tried to ignore the glances he could feel from the others. He didn’t dare a look up, not sure how to deal with their gazes. Or what they might want from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, do the sheep make the food?” Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah pretty much. But either way it’s really good!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You bet it is!” Charmy came by with two of the sheep in tow. “Here’s your food, I hope you enjoy it!” As soon as the food was in front of them she ran off to continue eating her own meal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku said nothing as he dug in, grateful for the meal. Actually, now that he thought about it, he probably hadn’t eaten anything in a few days. At least that’s what it felt like. As he ate he listened to the idle chatter in the strangely peaceful common room. Magna and Luck were saying something about a mission that might come up soon, and who might be sent out. He saw Luck trying to take some of Magna’s food when he wasn’t looking, only to get yelled at by the man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noelle was somewhere around there, eating and not talking to the rest of them. She would occasionally look over and huff when she saw Asta stuffing his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said stop taking my food!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A small explosion rang out from across the room, accompanied by Luck laughing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was only a matter of time…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku watched as the two ran around the room with Magna yelling at him, and Luck taunting Magna. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are these two always like this?” Izuku asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yup, pretty much.” Vanessa sighed. “Those two are always noisy. The hideout is going to be a mess by the time those two are finished.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t doubt it, that’s gotta be a pain to clean up.” Izuku watched part of the wall crumble. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well we don’t really have to, I’m sure you’ve already seen it. The base just repairs itself, so we don’t have to worry too much.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“How does it do that?” Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vanessa shrugged. “Magic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I guess that could be the answer to a lot of things...</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, yes it could.” She smirked as Izuku looked up in horror. “You have a tendency to mumble kiddo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku laughed nervously and went back to his food, flinching when another explosion went off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow they’re really going at it.” Asta said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As per usual.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t they take it outside?” Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Knowing them, they’ll end up causing a forest fire. So it’s best if it stays inside, as annoying as it is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm...oh yeah! Hey Vanessa, quick question!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it kiddo?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta looked at Izuku before asking. “Well, if someone misses the ceremony to get their Grimoire, can they just walk into the Grimoire Tower and get it? Or do you have to wait until next year?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vanessa stared at him for a moment. “Yeah, of course you can. It’s your Grimoire, a bunch of people do it all the time.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, anybody can go in at any time when they turn 15 and get it. I mean that’s what I did, I know the Captain probably did that too. Why?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta looked at Izuku and nudged him, encouraging him to speak up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, well...I don’t think I have a Grimoire…” Izuku mumbled. “I don’t know if I already got one, or if I lost it, or…” He scratched at his face. “Um...yeah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t think you have a Grimoire?” Vanessa asked. “No offense kiddo, but I don’t think you have enough magic power to pull a magic surge </span>
  <em>
    <span>without</span>
  </em>
  <span> a Grimoire. What makes you think you don’t have one?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well...when I woke up I didn’t see one near me. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to miss it. I just...I don’t know. I have a feeling I don’t have one.” He fiddled with his hands and refused to look up, afraid of being mocked in some way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vanessa watched Izuku for a moment before smiling. “Well I was planning to go into town anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, we got paid the other day and I didn’t get to go into town then. Since the whole magic surge and everything happened. My money’s burning a hole in my pockets and I gotta spend it. How about we head into town, you can get a lay of the land and I can get what I need, then afterwards we can go to a Grimoire Tower, and see if you get a Grimoire.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, I can just go to any tower?” Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vanessa nodded. “Yeah, and while we’re out we can get you some clothes that are more fitting.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku blushed and looked down at his uniform. “What’s wrong with this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You stick out like a sore thumb.” Noelle said as she passed by. “You look like a foreigner, like you don’t belong.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, what you’re wearing is kinda weird.” Asta nodded. “What’s it supposed to be anyway?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea, I’m guessing it’s a uniform. But to what, I have no clue.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All the more reason to get rid of the outfit. Say, Asta, Noelle, you two wanna come with us and take a look around the town? Spend your hard earned money?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose.” Noelle shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah that sounds fun! But I have like almost no money, so I’ll just be tagging along for fun I guess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How did you already spend your money!” Noelle scolded him. “What did you do, waste it on something stupid?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta shook his head. “Nope! But I’m glad about what I did with it. So, can I still tag along?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I don’t see why not. Besides, you’re supposed to be keeping an eye on Izuku right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you already forget?” Noelle shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku hummed to himself as he watched the two before looking back at Vanessa. “So, how do we get to town? Are we gonna ask Finral?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vanessa shook her head. “Nope, we’re using brooms today kiddos.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Brooms?” They all asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh...I can’t use a broom.” Asta mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noelle huffed and looked away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, Noelle you can ride with me. Izuku, think you can use a broom?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked down. “I uh, don’t know. I guess I can try?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well using a broom also helps with magic control, so consider it practice.” She smiled. “Let me go get changed, go get the brooms and I’ll meet you three outside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked at the two, watching them make their way to the doors before scrambling after them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you think you can use a broom?” Noelle asked. “I assume even someone like you can do it.” She grabbed a broom and tossed it at Izuku.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, maybe. I think so...I guess I can give it a shot.” He mumbled, looking over the seemingly useless item. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope so, seeing as Asta is going to be riding with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He is?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no magic remember?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku sighed and looked down. “Well, I guess there’s a first time for everything…actually, quick question.” Izuku looked up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Noelle huffed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you need magic to use a broom and it's supposed to be easy, and I’m assuming everyone in the squad has a broom of their own...why do you need to ride with Vanessa?” He tilted his head. “And if you’re a royal with a lot of magic, shouldn’t that make it even easier?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>-.-</b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku sniffled as he and Asta shakily landed down, both nearly falling over. He almost crashed a couple of times, scaring both him and Asta. It wasn’t bad for his first flight, could have been much worse, especially if Vanessa hadn’t caught them with her String Magic the first few times. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You good?” Asta asked as they landed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She didn’t have to slap me.” Izuku wiped his eyes as Vanessa landed beside them. “It was just a question…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“An insensitive one that you have no business asking!” Noelle snapped as she got off of Vanessa’s broom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now be nice.” Vanessa looked over. “He didn’t know and that’s not his fault.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noelle stared at Vanessa before snapping her gaze over to Izuku, who flinched. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Noelle, come on. Be nice.” Asta defended him. “He didn’t know your magic is uncontrollable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She glared at him before looking over to Izuku, staring at him for a moment before sighing. “Fine, I’m sorry for slapping you. Just don’t ask something like that again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku wordlessly nodded and watched as Noelle stepped to the side and looked away. He was planning on avoiding her as much as possible in the future. Izuku held his stinging cheek as they put their brooms up in a space where they could retrieve them later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well that wasn’t bad for someone who’s never used a broom before.” Vanessa smiled. “A few hiccups, but other than that, that was pretty good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“O-Oh, thanks.” Izuku felt himself blush. “So uh, where do we go from here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well I have to grab a few things, and I’m planning on taking Noelle to see something that might help with her magic. You and Asta can peruse through the market while we do that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw neat!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have any money to spend.” Noelle reminded him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have just a little!” He grinned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I doubt you have enough to buy anything.” She rolled her eyes and followed Vanessa, Izuku and Asta trailed behind them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked around as they walked, seeing the different people walking about the town. People walked in and out of stores, while others idled around and chatted. It was almost nice to be in a new place, being able to see what else there was other than the base. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Izuku.” Asta nudged him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked over. “Yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anything here triggering any memories for ya?”  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, can’t say it is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noelle shook her head. “You really think just walking around town is going to help with his memory? That’s a stupid idea.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey you never know.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku smiled to himself. He continued looking around as they walked past a few shops. Nothing looked familiar, everything felt foreign and strange. Deep down he couldn’t help but feel like an invader of some kind. Something itched at the back of his mind, telling him he didn’t belong there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So uh, are there other places other than here, and the Diamond place?” Izuku asked. If he felt like an invader, maybe just maybe he was from somewhere else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm?” Vanessa looked over to him. “Of course, there’s the Heart Kingdom and then there’s Spade. There’s this big space of neutral territory between Spade and Clover, Heart and Diamond.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Unless you meant different parts of this kingdom.” Noelle cut in. “In that case we’re currently in the Noble Realm, while there’s the Common Realm and Forsaken Realm.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Forsaken Realm?” Izuku asked. “What’s that? Some part of the kingdom we can’t go near or…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah you can go there. I mean I’m from there, it’s just really far out and away from the capital.” Asta patted his back. “Jeez now that I think about it calling it the Forsaken Realm makes it sound really bad doesn’t it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because it is.” Noelle frowned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is not! There’s so many nice people out there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Peasants like yourself.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you always this mean when it comes to someone’s status?” Izuku asked, something about how Noelle said it irked him a little. He brought a hand up and scratched at his arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just how Noelle is, I’m sure she doesn’t mean anything by it.” Asta put a hand up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s still mean.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m a royal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s not an excuse!” Izuku snapped, feeling the annoying buzz spike.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Vanessa put a hand between the two before any kind of argument could start. “We’re at our first stop. Let’s try to get along okay, I’d rather not have us kicked out of here. You two can have this conversation later if at all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two stared at each other for a moment before Izuku sighed and mumbled some kind of agreement and Noelle looked away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta looked between the two awkwardly before speaking up. “So uh, what are we doing here?” He asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Getting Izuku some new clothes. Seriously kiddo that can’t be too comfortable, not to mention you stick out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah.” He forgot that was on the to-do list. “But I don’t have any money…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry kiddo, next payday you can pay me back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>-.-</b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I draw the line at my shoes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They kinda stick out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t really care, I draw the line at my shoes.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku was uncertain of a lot of things, but we was sure of one or two things. And he was sure it carried over from who he was before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He liked his shoes and he really didn’t want to lose them. The thought of even losing them made him feel uneasy, like he’s had an attachment to them for a while now. And maybe he did. Plus they were comfortable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The second thing is that he’s not that big a fan of shopping for clothes. It’s exhausting, and to him they could have been in and out. He had an annoying urge to grab some kind of marker and find a plain tunic, and write ‘normal shirt’ on it. He really did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead he settled on a long-sleeved dark green tunic and black pants. Something as plain and simple to match his own appearance. Vanessa tried to have him try something else out, but Izuku insisted what he was wearing was fine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t want to go back in the changing room and have to look at himself in the mirror again. It was one thing to just see his face, the face of a stranger that is himself. Plain and unassuming. It was another thing to look at yourself and see scars in the shape of sunbursts all over your body. The mere sight of them made his skin crawl. There were trails of them up and down his arms, and there was one on his back that looked worse than the others. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Someone hurt me…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thought sent some kind of uneasy emotion surging through Izuku before he shoved it down in a place where he didn’t have to face it. Not yet, and maybe not ever. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you’re fine with that?” Asta asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm? Oh this? Yeah. And at least I don’t stick out any more.” Izuku glanced around to see he was no longer getting strange looks from random strangers. It was comforting, knowing he was off people’s radar now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Except for the shoes.” Noelle rolled her eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, they’re comfortable. Besides there’s really nothing wrong with them, it’s not like anybody is going to be staring at them all the time.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s fair.” Asta nodded. “Say, where are we going next Vanessa?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We just have one last stop before we can head over to the Grimoire Tower.” She led the group to a quieter part of town. “I’ve been meaning to come here for a while.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Vanessa the shops are the other way. What exactly are we supposed to find here?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She only smiled as she led them into a quiet street with a dead end. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We won’t be here for too long, but while you’re here try not to wander too far off.” she kept walking while the others stopped in their tracks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait Vanessa where are you going?” Izuku asked, watching her continue walking. “Wait hold on, you’re gonna hit the-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead of smacking into the wall like they thought she would, she walked through it completely unfazed. They stared at the wall before Vanessa peeked back out and waved them over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on, you’ll be fine.” She said before fading back into the wall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three looked at each other before making their way towards the wall. Asta was the first to dare a step forward and walked into the wall. Before long Izuku followed after, then Noelle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>None of them were sure what they were expecting, but they certainly weren’t expecting to see a hidden market in the secret space. Izuku and Asta stared in awe while Noelle narrowed her eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to the black market kiddos.” Vanessa gestured to the various booths and people wandering around the dim area. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The black market?” Noelle asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yup. Now don’t give me that look, there are a lot of things to be found here. Maybe even something that can help you with control.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noelle looked up at that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vanessa hummed and started walking forward. “You won’t know if you don’t explore. And before we go anywhere, you see that area over there?” She pointed farther down where a large group of people had gathered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That place is a little bit much for first timers like yourself, so do your best to stay away from there. Come on Noelle, and you two behave yourselves alright?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry Vanessa, will do!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They watched her walk off to one of the booths before Asta turned to Izuku. “So, what should we look at first?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought you didn’t have any money.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do, just not a lot. But maybe I can get something neat with this!” He held up an almost empty pouch of money. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on, maybe we can find something for you too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please don’t waste your money on me, Asta.” Izuku frowned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not wasting it if it’s for a friend. Now come on, that booth over there looks pretty cool!” He grabbed Izuku’s arm and dragged him off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even though they were at the black market, it wasn’t quite as frightening as Izuku would have imagined it would be. Sure it was darker than the castle town, and maybe a few people there were really shady, but he didn’t quite have a fear of being stabbed for something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They spent some time loitering around a random booth littered with all kinda of trinkets. Izuku picked up a random book and flipped through it while Asta fiddled with some kind of toy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Say, what did you spend all your money on anyway?” Izuku looked over to Asta who was silently giggling over his new find. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm? Oh, I sent pretty much all my money back home.” He smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your home?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I come from a village way out called Hage. I grew up in a church with a lot of other kids, since apparently I was left on the doorstep. When I left the church was falling apart, so I sent all my money back. I hope it was enough to fix it up, and have some left over. Hm...I wonder what Yuno did with his money. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yuno?” Izuku raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta gasped and wheeled around to look at Izuku. “Holy crap that’s right you haven’t met Yuno yet! You two should totally meet, I think you guys would get along great!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, okay...but who exactly </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> Yuno?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta grinned. “He and I grew up together in Hage, and he’s my rival! We both want to become the Wizard King, and we’ve both been working as hard as we can to get stronger and stronger. But I’m not gonna let him beat me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, is he your friend or just your rival?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s both!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The merchant in charge of the booth cleared his throat, catching their attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As riveting as this conversation is, do you two intend on buying anything or just chatting with each other?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh uh…” Izuku put the book down, it wasn’t that interesting anyway. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I wanna buy this!” Asta held up the ridiculous toy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you serious?” Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta only laughed as he handed over the money. He smiled to himself as they walked away from the booth. “Look at this, it’s so cool.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it supposed to be anyway? Like an alien or something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No idea, but I think it’s pretty cool.” Asta looked over the green fuzzball with eyes attached the ends up wires that stuck straight up. He pulled on one of the eyes and gasped when the toy started talking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh! It talks! That’s so cool!” Asta laughed and held it up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku watched him laugh and fiddle with it as they walked further down the path. They had yet to see Noelle or Vanessa again, they figured they would run into them at some point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Should we look anywhere else?” Asta asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How much do you have left exactly?” Izuku raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh…” Asta pulled out the pouch and shook it around a bit. “Almost nothing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then why don’t you save it? What if you want to use it on something later?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would I wanna do that? I’m gonna get paid again, besides it’s not like I come out to the castle town very often.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess, but still.” Izuku shrugged. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, what are you two doing here?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. They turned around to see Magna walking down the path towards them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh hey Magna!” Asta greeted. “We’re just here since Vanessa had some stuff to get. What are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Magna smirked and held up his own small pouch of money. “I intend to turn one payday into a hundred. I’m feeling pretty good about it this time, and I think luck is on my side. And once I win I’m gonna...what the heck is that supposed to be?” Magna pointed at Asta’s purchase.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I found something really neat at the booth from over there. It’s so cool!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s supposed to be a cuddly monster or something?” Izuku tried. “I’m not too sure.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh…” Magna stared at it before shrugging. “Eh, doesn’t matter. I’ll see you two later. I’ve got winnings to earn!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They watched him walk off and head to where the large crowd had gathered, seeing him squeeze past a few people to get in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have a feeling that’s not gonna end well.” Izuku mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yup.” Asta nodded. “Anyway, was there anything you wanted to look at?’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shook his head. “No, I’m okay. How about we try finding the other two and go from there?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sounds good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two set off and moved around the market, moving out of the way as strangers passed by them. The quiet didn’t last for long though, as Asta felt the need to speak up again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Say, I meant to ask earlier but, are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay? Earlier when we left the shop you looked a little shaken up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“O-Oh! N-No, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me!” Izuku frantically waved his arms around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta gave him a look. “Are you sure? You know you can say something if anything’s wrong right? You’re in our squad, I’m sure anyone would be willing to listen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku laughed nervously and scratched at his face. “N-no offense Asta, but I highly doubt that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, uh...well how do I say this...uh…” Izuku’s fidgeting got a little worse. “I mean, you guys don’t know me, and it’s not exactly like you got a choice whether or not you’d have to deal with me. I mean I know by all technicalities I’m a part of your squad, but I’m not exactly...a part of your squad. I’m just some random stranger you guys have to deal with. Everyone is really nice, if not a little scary, but I mean be honest how long until I wear out my welcome?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta stared up at him for a second before lightly punching his arm. “What are you talking about? You </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> part of this squad. I mean yeah you showed up out of nowhere, but you’re still part of it. You’re thinking about it way too hard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked away and shrugged. “ I guess…” He brought a hand up and began to scratch at his face, there was an annoying buzz under his skin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s just nerves...</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There you are!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stopped in their tracks and looked up to see Vanessa and Noelle standing behind them. Vanessa looked rather pleased with herself while Noelle was now sporting what looked like a simple wand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh hey guys. Were you looking for us?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Noelle raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You two find anything interesting?” Vanessa asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I found this!” Asta held up his very first purchase. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What on earth is that supposed to be?” Noelle gave a look of disgust. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why does everyone keep saying that? I mean I don’t know what exactly it’s supposed to be either, but I think it’s pretty neat.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s more like a waste of money.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe to you.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, we’ve pretty much got what we came for. I think it’s safe to say we can finally head to our last stop.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked up at that, a small feeling of excitement bubbling up, until apprehension dragged it back down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What if I don’t get a grimoire? Did that mean I already have one and I lost it? Can I ever get it back? But then where would it be?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku trailed a little ways behind them, hearing the others speak but not quite catching their words. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Unless someone is holding it hostage. Is that a thing? Can someone just do that? Would someone do that? Why even though? Would someone even be able to use another person’s Grimoire?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a loud cry from behind him. He whirled around only to get pushed to the ground as a man ran past him with a large bag in arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Help! Thief! Thief! He stole my winnings!” The old woman cried out and struggled to get to her feet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku got up and looked after the fleeing man, only for Asta to run past him. “I got this!” He yelled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stared for a moment before going over to the woman and helping her up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A thief stealing in front of Magic Knights? That’s rather bold.” Noelle muttered, ready to catch the woman if she fell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can say that again.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine sonny, thank you. I just hope he catches that thief!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku watched her for a moment before looking at the others. “Shouldn’t we be trying to catch up with Asta? I mean he went ahead of us, but what if he needs help?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Asta can handle himself, he’s got this covered.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” Izuku asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With that neat sword of his, the guy doesn’t even stand a chance.” Vanessa smiled. “But we </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> meet up with him so we can help take that guy into-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was cut off when a random man sped by, riding on what seemed to be a blue motorbike, albeit a strange and disturbing version of one. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What was…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh it’s the creepy guy from earlier.” Noelle rolled her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, the what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can worry about details later, come on. They probably haven’t gone too far!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the two took off running, Izuku had immediately followed after them. They jumped out of the hidden entrance and into the streets of the town. They could hear loud yelling and crashes from up ahead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like Asta’s hot on his trail.” Noelle panted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a moment Izuku couldn’t help but marvel at how fast Asta had caught up with the thief. He had a good head start before he was being chased. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was another loud crash from further ahead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Did he already catch him?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stumbled and almost fell over as the other two pulled ahead to finally catch up with Asta. He righted himself and was about to follow them, he stopped himself. He was rooted in place as the strange buzzing sensation slammed into him. Lying just beneath his skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was so sudden and out of nowhere it almost took the wind out of him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The noise of the town, of the people was drowned out by silence as Izuku tried to focus. The world felt a little darker as his eyes scanned over the area again and again. Just as he was about to try to ignore it, that was when he felt it. It felt like a strange echo that sent ripples through the unnerving feeling inside of him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could feel something, he could actually feel a lot of things. Small pulses of power from anywhere and everywhere, just as they came they left. Constantly shifting and changing, making his head spin. It felt like one of the small pulses was right in front of him, he just had to reach out and…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Izuku!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A hand slapped him on the back, knocking the wind out of him and breaking whatever spell he was under. He wheezed and doubled over, feeling a bit of bile make its way up his throat. He heard a concerned voice as he swallowed back his nausea and struggled to take in one breath after another. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The buzzing feeling under his skin was still there, but now it was muted. Hardly noticeable unless he concentrated on it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Woah hey, you okay?” He was able to make out Asta’s voice and nod. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-I’m fine.” He managed to get out. “J-Just kinda scared m-me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve been trying to get your attention for a while there kiddo, you feeling okay?” Vanessa looked over him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y-Yeah, I think so.” He shuddered and managed to stand up straight. “W-What happened, d-did you get the guy or…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we caught him. Ha Ha took him into custody, he left just a little while ago. Then you weren’t there and we went to go find you, and you were just standing there. You were spaced out for a bit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shook his head. “I-I’m sure it wasn’t that long…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was.” Noelle frowned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh…” Izuku looked down. He tried to focus on the strange buzz again, only to feel it slip out of his grasp, as if he pushed it away. That was probably for the better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vanessa took a step closer. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? You don’t look too good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine!” Izuku held up his hands to reassure her, only to realize he was trembling. “Oh…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” Asta asked. “Did someone hit you with a weird spell?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shook his head. “I don’t think so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah I’m just…” Izuku shook his head. “How’s that old lady, is she okay?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s doing just fine, we got her winnings back to her. She wasn’t injured thankfully.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku sighed. “That’s good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, now that that’s over and done with, what happened to you?” Noelle asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m...not too sure.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean you’re not sure?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean I don’t know! I really don’t!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the three fretted and questioned the boy over his well being the old woman from before sat on a rooftop, watching the group. She smiled to herself as a golden light encompassed her and faded away to reveal the Wizard King. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stared down at Izuku in curiosity. He had noticed how he just stopped and began to scan the area around him. How a strange aura of power surrounded him and how he seemed to be hypnotized by it. It seemed like he could see something others could not. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just as he was about to reach out and do something his friends had come back and snapped him out of his stupor. Once he was out of it, the strange power filling the air dispersed and faded away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Wizard King couldn’t help his curiosity, wondering what their new Magic Knight was about to do. Though he also felt a slight feeling of apprehension. The power that had been around him didn’t quite feel like magic, it felt different. Otherworldly. Strange, but lively. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julius watched as the group walked off, humming to himself as he sat up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re certainly a strange one Izuku.” He smiled. “But I certainly look forward to seeing what you’re capable of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  
  <b>-.-</b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’re sure you’re okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For the millionth time, I’m okay.” Izuku looked down at Asta. He stopped shaking at some point, and the sick feeling had gone as well. Leaving Izuku feeling comfortable in his own skin again, he had no idea what happened, but he’d rather keep it from happening again if he could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just making sure, you worried us.” Asta frowned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, but I’m good. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. Whatever it was is gone now and- woah…” Izuku stopped mid sentence as he caught sight of the Grimoire Tower. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>huge</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It stood far above them, casting a shadow on all of them in the setting sun. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to the Grimoire Tower.” Vanessa beckoned to it while Izuku nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Holy crap I think that thing is bigger than the one back home!” Asta shouted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course it is, we are in the Royal Capital.” Noelle huffed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah but still!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two boys stared in awe until another voice called out to them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, took you all long enough!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked over to see Magna accompanied by the other Black Bulls standing near the entrance. Even Captain Yami stood amongst them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey you guys!” Asta waved at them and ran over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you all doing here?” Izuku asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re getting your Grimoire, why wouldn’t we be here?” Magna grinned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> a pretty big event.” Vanessa nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, once you get your Grimoire then we can have a death match!” Luck shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe I’m here, when I could be with Marie instead.” Gauche crossed his arms as Grey let out a puff of smoke. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oi, cut the chit chat!” Yami spoke above the rest, quieting them down. “We’re here to get the runt’s Grimoire, not have a party. Come on, I’ve got stuff to do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eloquent as ever sir.” Finral sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked over all of them until Asta gave him a light push and walked beside him into the tower. The others trailed behind them, talking excitedly or staying quiet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku wasn’t sure what to expect, but it still amazed him to see the great tower filled from the brim with books. Everywhere on each side, there was a book filling every space of the shelves. There were no empty spaces, as if as soon as one left another came in to fill its place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pretty cool right?” Asta looked over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah…” Izuku walked forward, stopping in the center of the room. “So what happens now?” He asked. “Do I have to find my book or something?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope, just wait and your book will come to you.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If he doesn’t have one already…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku tried to ignore that last part and walked around the tower, looking over the different unclaimed Grimoires. Some of them were thicker than others, while some were thin and long, there were even a few comically small and big ones. He could only imagine the kind of people that would wield them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He eventually stopped pacing around and stared up at the shelves. He wasn’t sure what was supposed to be happening. Should he know when the Grimoire was going to come down for him? Was it supposed to be random?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or maybe he wasn’t getting one, because he already had one. And wherever it was it was out of reach, there was no getting it back. For all he knew maybe one of the Diamond Mages had found it and already taken it, or maybe it was still out there in the woods.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or worse, it was destroyed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing is happening.” Izuku mumbled, a heavy feeling sat in his chest as he turned away. “I guess that means I already have a Grimoire and I just lost it.” He felt his face burn in embarrassment and shame, everyone had come along thinking he’d get a Grimoire. Only to be disappointed and find that he didn’t get one, meaning they wasted their time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Izuku…” Asta stepped forward. He knew what it was like to feel that disappointment, that embarrassment. It felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>awful</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed and shook his head. It was fine, he just had to figure out where his Grimoire was. If he could find it then maybe he could piece together other things, maybe bits of his past and what happened to him. It was fine…it would be fine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Izuku?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took a deep breath and ignored the burning in his eyes, he didn’t need to cry. He should have known better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, runt!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku froze and hesitantly turned around to the others, about to ask what was wrong when he saw it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a reddish, orange glow before him. A thick leather cover began to appear out of nowhere and opened up. Before long one page appeared, then two, then even more. Rapidly filling up the previously barren book and cramming in as many pages as it could until it seemed satisfied. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stared at it as the book finally slammed shut and small lines of light appeared around the book, carving out designs on the front and back of it. When it was finished the light gathered in front of the book and slammed into the cover, branding it with a three leaf clover. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku took a step forward and held out his hands as the book flew towards him, losing its glow once it settled into his grasp. Now that he had it in his hands he could get a better look at the cover. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The cover was green, and in the middle was a three leaf clover inside a circle with flames decorating the edge. There was a large circle around it with four points, all pointing to the clover. The back of the book had a circle in the center, with black lines branching out from the edges of it, crossing over another and eventually reaching the edge of the book. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Holy crap that was cool!” Asta ran over and looked over Izuku’s shoulder, getting a good look at the book himself. A few of the others gathered around him, surprised that he had gotten one. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku felt a wave of relief hit him as he hugged the book close, feeling the magic it possessed hum against his chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He got a Grimoire, he got </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Grimoire!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While most of the others were around him and congratulating him, Vanessa had stayed back with Yami. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He got a Grimoire.” She whistled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” He crossed his arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She kept a smile on her face as she spoke. “That means he didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> a Grimoire when he made the magic surge...and with how it appeared out of nowhere it’s almost like it hadn’t existed yet. Like it wasn’t ready and waiting for him like the other Grimoires...”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yami grunted in acknowledgment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then that begs the question...who or what exactly </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> Izuku?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Practice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Asta and Izuku training together</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Training with Asta was a special kind of hell, definitely not one Izuku was ready for. Sadly, that was the reality of it at the moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A week had passed since Izuku got his Grimoire, and it started a new routine. Asta scared the living daylights out of him in the morning, he got dressed, they did chores, and then started to train. Izuku still refused to see Yami’s pets, fearful of what might happen to him should he meet them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the necessities of the day were done and a meal, courtesy of Charmy, Asta dragged him outside to train. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At first Izuku had expected to just work on his magic, but he was wrong. Asta made him run laps around the base. He was faster than Izuku and easily lapped around him as well, leaving him behind. Once they finished Izuku thought they would take a small break, only for Asta to jump right into more exercises. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku tried his best to keep up, but he should have known better. Asta had what he would guess was months or maybe even years of training on him, meaning more stamina and endurance. While Izuku was, to put it frankly, a bag of bones. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku wasn’t about to fight Asta on training. In all reality it made sense, he didn’t have any magic on his own, so he had to train his body. His own magic was probably nothing compared to what other people had, but if he was drained then he would at least be able to continue fighting in some way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku fell to the ground with a loud thud, panting. He groaned as he heard footsteps approaching him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What now?” He asked. “Asta please don’t tell me now we have to run through the woods and avoid smacking into trees or something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, but that does sound like a cool idea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku groaned again and rubbed his eyes. “Please no…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re not gonna do that, don’t worry.” Asta grinned as he leaned over Izuku. “Now we’re going to move on to training your magic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There it was, something he was always eager to get to, but also apprehensive. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The buzzing had come back at some point, it was hard to say when but he knew it was back. He had no idea what it was, or what it did to him, but he had decided that he didn’t like it. If he could put off dealing with it, he would. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was just nervous it would make an appearance when he decided to use his magic. So far, in their small sessions of seeing how good his control is, it hadn’t and he would like to keep it that way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sure you wanna start it now? Maybe we should take a break?” Izuku slowly sat up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Heck yeah! You’ve got your Grimoire now, even without it you're able to do some cool stuff.” Asta helped him to his feet. “What if you tried using one of the spells in the book today? I mean you gotta be excited too right? Think of all the cool stuff you’ll be able to pull off!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean I guess…” Izuku rubbed at his arms. “But what if something goes wrong? Like my magic just kinda goes berserk?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta grinned and held up his Grimoire. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Anti-Magic right…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay yeah, but if it doesn’t work for some reason?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I doubt that, but...I mean if it happens I guess I’ll figure it out.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s not very reassuring.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Heh heh, probably not huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta stared at him before shrugging. “So, are we gonna do this or…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I feel like I don’t have much of a choice so…” He walked a few feet away as a precaution.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not like we’re gonna fight. Or...I guess maybe we should see what you can do.” Asta pulled out his sword from the Grimoire and held it up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s fair.” Izuku reached to his side and grabbed his own. Shortly after returning from the Grimoire Tower, Izuku had only realized he had no practical way of carrying it. The problem was quickly solved when Luck ran away, and threw something at him. A hand-me-down belt that had a book shaped pouch attached to it. It was a little rough but it was still useful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Besides, when it came to Luck, Izuku was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to say no to him. Not with the ever growing fear of him. Saying he was frightening was an understatement. Now saying that Luck was someone who could and </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> tear him to pieces and put him back together just to do it again? More accurate. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku liked living, thank you very much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you ready?” Asta asked, holding his sword up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As ready as I can be.” Izuku took a deep breath and the Grimoire flipped open on its own, opening to a page that had been filled in. As neat as the Grimoire acting on its own was, he decided that’d be something to explore later. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay…here we go.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He held up his hands and hesitantly summoned his fire. A gentle warmth blossomed at his palms and slowly encompassed his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, so far so good.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked up at Asta, who nodded. With that Izuku drew a hand back and threw a small fireball at him. He cut through it with no effort. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on, you can do better than that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m just gearing up, hold on a second.” He focused on the fire, trying to increase the intensity of it. The flames grew a little bigger, creeping up to his wrists. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once he was sure he had a handle on it he threw another fireball at Asta, this one moving faster than the first. Asta cut through it again with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See now that’s what I’m talking about! Come on, again!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku felt a little more confident and let the flames grow stronger. The buzzing was muted again, taking a backseat to his magic. He didn’t have to worry about it, and he would keep it that way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Izuku got more comfortable with his fire, he began moving around as he threw one strike after another. They had begun to dance around each other, not making serious attacks, but small feints that left the other constantly on guard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After some time, he began to actually feel a toll from his constant use of magic. In reality he always lasted a lot longer than he thought he would have. And he was glad he did, because this was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku swiped an arm to the side and watched a small wave of flames race towards Asta. He swiped his sword through them and looked up to see Izuku wasn’t far behind them. He was right in front of Asta when he threw another wave of fire at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This time Asta blocked the attack, and ducked before sweeping Izuku’s legs out from under him and sending him to the ground. He cried out in surprise before falling down, his Grimoire falling beside him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, that was pretty good.” Asta grinned and walked over to help him up. “Your control is good too, which is kinda surprising considering you’re always so worried about it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku grunted as he got to his feet. “Well, I think it might still flare out, but more to emotional reactions. Since that’s when my grip on it is the weakest, but I guess that’s a subject for later huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Since you’ve got some basic stuff down, why don’t you try a spell?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku frowned and looked over the pages, only finding two filled in. He eyed the first one before looking back at Asta. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My Grimoire only has two pages, is it supposed to be like that?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well considering you just got it, yeah. Grimoires start out empty, but apparently they start to fill with spells over time.” He idly swung his sword around as he explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, but how do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>get</span>
  </em>
  <span> spells? Do you have to write them in or something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta opened his mouth to answer, only to stop and shut it. He hummed before looking down and rubbing his neck. “You know that’s actually a good question.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You mean you don't know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta laughed sheepishly. “Nope!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess maybe we can ask one of the others?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but a bit later. For now let’s see what you got.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay…” Izuku readied himself and watched his book float beside him. “Are you sure about this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku sighed and flexed his hands, looking down at his Grimoire and reading over the spell. He looked back at Asta and braced himself, holding up a hand and watched as small flames trailed from his fingertips and into his palm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Burst.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without warning Izuku threw the fireball forward, watching it race towards Asta. The sheer power of it sent Izuku stumbling back. Just as Asta raised his sword, the fireball exploded and sent Asta flying back until he cut through the flames and dispelled the rest of the fire.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku paled at the sight and looked around, making sure nothing caught on fire. The loud boom of it made something itch at the back of his mind. He didn’t pay it too much attention and instead focused on Asta “I am so-!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was so cool!” Asta cut him off. “Holy crap I didn’t know what to expect, but that was so cool!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku felt his face turn red as he stammered. “W-What do you mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>cool?</span>
  </em>
  <span> I almost set you on fire, I could have hurt you!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But you didn’t! And that spell was awesome, do you have another one?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah but…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Try that one out, come on I bet it’ll be amazing!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Grimoire turned to the next page but Izuku made it go back to the previous spell. “How about we try sticking to this first one? I mean, I had no idea what would really happen. That was a blind test run!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You really wanna stick to the first one?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just until I get a better handle on it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta nodded. “Sounds good, you ready to try again?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stared at his hands before sighing. “Yeah, okay. Let’s try again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was what Izuku was afraid of. Yes, he had gotten a handle on regular magic, just using it as instinct told him to. But a Grimoire had more powerful spells, meaning more damage, and higher possibility of someone getting hurt. All he had to do was lose control of a spell like Burst, and it would be all over for the wrong person.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they started dancing around each other again, Izuku began to go back to his simple attacks. Throwing in an occasional Burst, but trying to keep the pattern changing. Asta was learning, and he was quick to pick up Izuku’s painfully simple patterns.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He tried to keep how much magic energy he used for Burst low, meaning that the explosion wouldn’t be as intense. It gave him an idea, but that was something he could try out later. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You feeling okay Izuku?” Asta asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, but I think I might be close to hitting my limit.” Izuku wiped some sweat off his brow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How about one more big attack? How does that sound?” Asta asked. “Push past your limits! Give me all you got!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s hope I can pull that off, I guess.” Izuku shrugged. He held up his hand and felt the fire gathering in his palm, the magic energy building and building until he only had a fraction of power left. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure about this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, come on you can do it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku took a deep breath, feeling his hand shake as he ran towards Asta. He was about to throw the fireball when the strange buzzing spiked again and sent ripples through him. He choked on his breath as he looked around in panic, catching a glimpse of a strange glowing rip in the air right in front of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Izuku look out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just as he lost his balance, he felt Asta’s sword smack into him, knocking the wind out of Izuku. Unfortunately the spell had already fired off, but instead of going towards Asta it went flying towards the base. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku snapped back to his senses just in time to see his fireball reach one of the upper levels of the base before exploding. The two stared in silence as part of the base wall crumbled and fell away, crashing to the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They looked on in horror waiting for the dust to clear, hoping that nobody had gotten hurt. Once the dust settled and the debris had finished falling to the ground, the two were met with the sight of Captain Yami holding a newspaper and glaring down at them from a toilet seat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shrunk under his gaze, muttering to himself as he watched the man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh crap...”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta glanced over at Izuku until the Captain cleared his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Which one of you did it?” He asked, despite being far above them and speaking in a low voice, the two boys heard him loud and clear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku and Asta stared at him before pointing to each other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Once I get down there I am going to kill both of you. Understand?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two stiffened up and watched as the last of the wall was repaired. They were quiet for a moment until Izuku spoke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have a little bit of magic left...you think I can go inside and grab a broom quick enough for us to get out of here?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wanna run away? I’m pretty sure that’ll make the Captain even angrier!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think staying is going to result in us dying!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Captain won’t actually kill us.” Asta said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You saw the look on his face, do you really wanna gamble on that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh…” The two flinched as they heard a loud crash from somewhere inside the base.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta helped Izuku to his feet and pushed him towards the base. “Get the broom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh now you agree with me to-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get the broom!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t need to be told twice. Izuku sprinted inside and looked around, looking for the small closet where they usually kept the brooms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey kiddo what’s the rush?” Vanessa asked. “Did something happen out there? The building was shaking just a few seconds ago.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, uh, I need a broom. And now. Because I think the Captain is going to kill Asta and I, because I may or may not have blown up the wall to the bathroom while he was in it.” Izuku fidgeted and looked around. He really hoped the closet hadn’t moved from where it was just a week ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Magna snorted as he passed by. “Oh so that </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> you. I wish I could have seen it, unfortunately I had to deal with a little pest myself!” He glared at Luck who laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vanessa laughed a bit before looking down at what she was working on, occasionally stopping to take a drink of the bottle of wine beside her. Without looking up she pointed at the corner of the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Brooms are in there. Run kiddo, run fast.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The captain will cool down in a little while.” Finral laughed nervously. “But he might be even more upset when you get back. But not as much.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d like to deal with cooled down anger more than fresh rage, I don’t feel like breaking any more bones! Or being beaten half to death, I think I already know what that feels like!” He ran over to the closet and grabbed a broom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku heard someone choke on their drink as he ran to the door, spurred on by another loud crash that sounded dangerously close. He threw open the door and was about to run out when Vanessa called him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Izuku!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stopped in his tracks and whirled around, only to see something thrown at him. He yelped and caught it before looking down at it. It was made of black cloth with gold trimmings, on the chest area he saw the same symbol that decorated everyone else’s robes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He paused for a moment to stare at it before looking up at Vanessa. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Took me a little bit to adjust the size, it might be a little big on you at first but I think you’ll grow into it. I kind of eyed your measurements.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stared at the robe in awe, and was about to thank Vanessa when Noelle walked into the common room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Captain is in a bad mood, I don’t know who or what made him like that. But he’s making his way down here so-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku yelped in surprise and ran out of the base. “T-Thanks Vanessa!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He slammed the doors shut and raced towards Asta. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh thank goodness, I thought you-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get on the broom!” Izuku shouted. “He is like </span>
  <em>
    <span>right there</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Just get on the broom!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The doors to the base slammed open and both of them shrieked in terror. In his panic the broom took off and carried the boys in a random direction. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>-.-</b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think my whole life flashed before my eyes…” Izuku picked a random leaf out of his hair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah? What’d you see?” Asta asked, brushing off some dust on his shirt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing, nothing but a blank. Jeez, my life flashes before my eyes and I don’t even get to remember anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After fleeing from an angry Captain Yami, Izuku ended up making the broom fly in a random direction until he regained his composure and put it on the right track again. He headed in the only direction he really knew, and that was towards the Castle Town. It had been going well until the last of Izuku’s magic was used up, and the two ended up in a free fall towards the forest below. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thankfully the branches of the trees cushioned their fall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both were sure they bruised their ribs if not fracturing </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How long until you think we should go back?” Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I’d say...give it a couple of hours. Then again there’s no guarantee the Captain wont hunt us down…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shot him a look before rubbing his eyes. “Should we just hope for the best but prepare for the worst?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah probably.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked around at the Castle Town they were in just a couple days earlier. “What should we do?” He asked. “Just walk around?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well I mean I guess so, not much we can do.” Asta hummed, bringing a hand up to his chin. “Oh! What if we see Yuno? We might run into him in town, or maybe we can see if we can visit his squad headquarters...or maybe not. I dunno if that’s allowed, and I don’t want to get him in trouble.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yuno...oh yeah. That guy you told me about the other day, your rival right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta nodded. “Sure is! I think you two would get along.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I sure hope so…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku scratched at his face and looked around at the different shops they passed by. A lot of them seemed pricey, and the people that were around stared at him and Asta for a moment before looking away. Most of them turned up their noses once they saw the robes they wore. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh hey, I just noticed you got your robe!” Asta shouted. “When did that happen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“While I was running out of the base, Vanessa threw it to me before I grabbed a broom.” Izuku hummed, looking down at it. He hadn’t put it on until after they crashed, he was surprised he had been able to keep a grip on it in all the chaos.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It fits pretty well.” Izuku continued. “Did Vanessa make yours too?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah I think Vanessa makes all the robes, you know with her string magic. Which is super cool! But I had to earn mine from Magna, we had to fight before I could officially be in the Black Bulls.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku sputtered. “You had to fight someone? Oh jeez…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta caught on to his train of thought quickly. “Oh no, no one is gonna make you fight them don’t worry!” He laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I dunno, Luck seems kind of battle hungry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s always like that, and don’t worry he’s not actually going to make you fight him. You’re already one of us, you don’t have to prove anything. You’re already a Black Bull, so don’t worry about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stared at him for a moment, doubt still prickling at the edges of his mind. “Yeah...okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two continued to make their way through the town, looking through the windows at different shops and sometimes greeting kids who come up to them to ask about being a Magic Knight. Some of the adults would look at their robes before walking away, or sneering at them as they passed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That’s right, didn’t one of the captains mention the Black Bulls are the worst squad or something? But they’re...not bad. Not at all. They’re a little weird, sure, but not bad.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku sighed and continued to look around the town. He knew it didn’t work the last time they were there, but he was hoping </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> would trigger some memories to come back. He didn’t care if it was something mundane or what, he would like to have some kind of background on himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anything would be nice now that he thought about it. A face, a name, some random tidbit of information that maybe didn’t matter in the big scheme of things. But it was something </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> knew. Something that belonged to </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Izuku.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm, what is it?” He looked down at Asta.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Any memories coming back? I know last time it didn’t work, but maybe another look around might help?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku sighed and shook his head. “No, in all honesty I was hoping that something would come back too. Maybe something </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> and we’re just looking in the wrong spot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe, oh! What if we visited some other villages? What if someone recognizes you?” Asta asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think it would be that easy.” Izuku frowned to himself. “Besides, we can’t exactly go to other villages at the moment. I don’t think I have enough magic energy to get us anywhere right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well that’s okay, we can try another time.” He smiled. “Maybe we can get the others to help us look. Oh, Finral could really help us out, he’s been to a bunch of places so he can make tons of portals!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Finral isn’t just some mode of transportation.” Izuku laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know that! But I think he’d be willing to help if we asked.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe, but I don’t wanna bother him…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can ask him on a day off.” Asta tried.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta smiled and looked ahead on the road. “I’m sure the others would wanna help too. And think about it, the more of us asking about you the more likely someone is going to realize who you are and want to come find you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But what if someone isn’t even looking for me? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I guess it’d be worth a shot.” Izuku hummed, trying to push past the fear that nagged at the back of his mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta grinned and looked ahead. “Don’t worry, we’re gonna find out where you belong. And if we can’t find anything then you’ve still got me and the Black Bulls. Promise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stared at him before smiling to himself. “I’ll keep that in mind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cool…” Asta pulled out his money pouch and held it up. “So, how about some lunch?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>-.-</b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“When I said you shouldn't waste your money on me, I meant it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not wasting money!” Asta insisted. “It’s lunch. Besides, when was the last time you ate anyway?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This morning…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See?” Asta tossed over the lightly wrapped meat bun before digging into his own. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku caught it and unwrapped it, looking at the food before digging in. The warm bread was sweet, and the meat inside was savory but was still hot enough to burn his tongue. He flinched and let it be for a moment. It wasn’t going anywhere.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“O-Ow hot hot hot hot!” Asta gasped before taking another bite and making the same complaints. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should wait for it to cool down.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But it’s so good!” Asta insisted, taking another bite. “Gah!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not going anywhere.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s not the point, it’s just so good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good food that isn’t going anywhere.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still though…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There is no ‘still though’s’ to talk about!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still though.” Asta grinned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still though </span>
  <em>
    <span>what?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What in the world are you doing?” A cool voice spoke up from behind them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shouted in surprise as Asta turned around and beamed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey! I didn’t think I’d see you here!” He yelled. He smiled up at Yuno was with two strangers wearing the same robes but standing off to the side looking at something else. The taller of the two would occasionally glance over at Yuno</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t think I’d see you here either. Aren’t you usually training by now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well....yeah. Usually. But we decided to stop by in town today for reasons.” Asta laughed. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you’d be training too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We had our own reasons to stop in town as well.” He said cooly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the surprise had worn off, Izuku looked over the newcomer. He noted he wore a golden robe, one that only covered his upper torso. The patch on it looked like a rising sun. “Uh...who are you supposed to be?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I could ask the same thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah!” Asta shouted. “Izuku, this is Yuno. The guy I was talking about earlier! My best friend and rival. Yuno, this is Izuku. He’s the one that caused the magic surge. I’m supposed to keep an eye on him to make sure his power doesn’t go out of control, but he’s got a good handle on it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuno paused to look over Izuku. “He’s the one that caused the magic surge? He doesn’t look like it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku felt his face flush before looking away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You might think so, but Izuku’s got some pretty cool magic. Just wait till you see it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku’s face heated up moreso. “Asta, </span>
  <em>
    <span>stop</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve only seen one of his spells from the Grimoire, but it’s so cool! You should come train with us and see!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I’ll pass.” He looked away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you busy training with your squad?” Asta asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re busy preparing for a mission.” Yuno answered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really? That’s so cool! We actually got back from a mission a little while before Izuku came along. We ended up getting a star.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So did we, on our last mission.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A star?” Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, whenever you do a good job on a mission you get rewarded with a star.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah...how many do you guys have?” Izuku looked at Yuno.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Definitely more than you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m getting the feeling he doesn’t really like me…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku laughed nervously and looked down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw come on give us a number!” Asta complained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How many do you have?” Yuno asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta grinned. “We’ve got -49.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Negative?” Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Definitely more than you.” Yuno rolled his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, that’s not a real answer!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta was about to protest again until he was cut off by one of the others wearing the same robe as Yuno. He called him over and told him to stop wasting time, they had to go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, who’s glasses over there?” Asta asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yuno rolled his eyes again and began to walk away. He said something to the stern looking man that seemed to irritate him. While the girl beside him started laughing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright fine, see ya later Yuno.” Asta called after him, smiling despite getting no response. “They’re going on a mission...man I can’t wait to go on another one too. It’s been a while.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The last time you went on a mission was a little before I showed up right?” Izuku asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure was, we actually visited Magna’s home town. And...well let’s just say a lot happened.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t doubt it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyway…” Asta nudged Izuku so they could start walking again. “I wish we could have spent more time talking to him, and it would have been cool to meet the others in his squad. Maybe another time, anyway you two seemed to get along.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t call it that.” Izuku rubbed his arm. “I don’t think he liked me very much, he seemed a little...standoffish.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s just how Yuno is.” Asta shrugged. “He wasn’t trying to be mean or anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I see.” Izuku mumbled. Asta </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> know Yuno for years, it would make sense he would be able to translate his actions. “Well, that’s good to know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but still I can’t believe they’re going on a mission soon. Oh, you know what would be cool? If you could come on a mission with us. I bet it’d be nice to get out of the hideout and go somewhere else for a change.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m okay with staying at the hideout for now, really.” Izuku sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seriously Asta, do not bring me on any sort of mission. I mean, yeah sure experience might be good. But consider this, taking me on a mission is like throwing a baby in a river. It can’t swim, I can’t fight. Not like you and the others, taking me would probably increase the risk of failure than success.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t really believe in yourself do you?” Asta asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean it’s a little hard considering I’m by all means still a novice. Yeah, my control is good. But that’s with </span>
  <em>
    <span>fire</span>
  </em>
  <span>, that’s with my Grimoire. What if...whatever I did or whatever I have that made the magic surge I can’t control? I mean granted we haven’t really seen anything like it...or at least I don’t think we have. I was just thrown into everything with no precursor. I mean come on Asta it’s been like maybe a week or two since we met and you really want to tell me you’d want to have a beginner like me on your team on a mission?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Asta said with no hesitation. “Yeah you’re new to this but you’re doing a really great job. So what if you blew up part of the base, we just gotta work on your aim. Plus I think it’d be pretty fun to have you on a mission. You can’t say it doesn’t sound fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku sighed and scratched at his face. “I mean…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta huffed and lightly punched his arm. “Come on, you know it does. Besides, I don’t think the Captain would just throw you on a really hard mission just for the heck of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He might, considering what happened this morning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both cringed before coming to a stop. Within the couple hours they had been there they had managed to come full circle. Ending up where they had started from. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh...didn’t think we’d end up back here so soon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean the town is kind of a giant circle when you think about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I thought we’d see more.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me too…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two stared at the entrance before looking at the broom still in Izuku’s hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think we should head back?” Asta asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d rather give the Captain a few more hours before heading back. I think if we went back now it might end badly for us.” Izuku sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to lap around the Town again?” Asta asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, maybe we could go somewhere else. I don’t mean like a village somewhere else but like...I dunno somewhere.” Izuku shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You got enough magic to fly?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t suggest leaving if I didn’t.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta grinned. “Well let’s go then!”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>-.-</b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Izuku groaned as he fell to the ground. They stopped flying after a while and Asta had insisted they do some more training to help pass the time. He took Izuku’s idea from earlier and had them running through trees. Izuku had put the broom down in the small clearing they landed in, they made sure to remember where it was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Man, that was a good run.” Asta panted and wiped some sweat off his brow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was...exhausting.” Izuku rolled onto his side and groaned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wanna go for another round?” Asta asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh god please no.” Izuku covered his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta laughed before sitting down beside him. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked over and narrowed his eyes before turning away again. He would kill to just fall asleep where he was, he didn’t care if it was on the ground or not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So...how you feeling?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After that run? I’m tired, I might just fall asleep here and now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You shouldn’t sleep on the ground, you’ll get a cold.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I feel like that’s a myth.” Izuku raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eh, maybe. But either way you shouldn’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku groaned and slowly sat up. “Fine. I won’t sleep on the ground.” Izuku looked at Asta and paused. “I’ll sleep in a tree.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku chuckled at that before laying on the ground again and staring at the sky. He took a deep breath and let it out, feeling clean air enter his lungs. Refreshing, freeing, it wasn’t stifling. The sky above him was a darker hue of blue, slowly transitioning to a bright orange and yellow. The sun was setting...when was the last time he saw a sunset? Surely it couldn’t have been too long ago right?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His eye twitched as he dug through that emptiness again, faint flickers of blurred images came up. So close, yet so far away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A blazing sun in an afternoon sky.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was an itch in the back of his mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A cool breeze blew by him, kicking up some sand.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He was alone.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It still felt like a blank slate, the colors were fleeting. The memory was leaving as quickly as it had come. It was nothing yet it felt serene, a moment of peace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Izuku!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gasped and saw fingers snapping in his face, trying to bring him back. He hurriedly sat up and looked around, it took him a moment to remember where he was. He looked over to see Asta sitting up and looking over in concern. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you okay there?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku nodded, his mouth felt dry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y-Yeah...Yeah. I’m fine, why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been trying to get your attention for a while, you were totally spaced out and wouldn't answer. You sure you’re okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m sure. Don’t worry about me.” Izuku waved it off. He looked at the sky again to see it was darker, the oranges and yellows were practically gone now. He really was out of it for a while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should probably head back. The others are probably getting worried.” Asta stood up and held out a hand to Izuku. He took it gratefully and got up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably. I have a feeling the Captain is going to be upset by us being out so late.” Izuku sighed. “He’s going to be mad about the base, and us being out late. Looks like there’s no winning for us.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta cringed and nodded. “Yup.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They made their way over to the broom on the ground, and got on it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You got enough magic?” Asta asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I have plenty.” Izuku nodded. “We should be good. The base is...that way right?” He pointed in a different direction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I think that’s where we came from.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright then, let’s go I guess.” Izuku said, and with that they took off. Flying with a broom wasn’t too hard once he got used to it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p><em><span>Is it possible to use something else to fly? Does it specifically have to be a broom?</span></em> <em><span>What if someone used a sword or something? How would that work out?</span></em></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think Charmy might make us something for dinner? I think they might have already eaten.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shrugged. “Maybe. I dunno...hopefully.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta accepted that answer and quieted down behind him, opting to look at the forest below. They weren’t flying so high that if Izuku ran out of magic again the fall wouldn’t be as bad compared to earlier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta continued to look around as they flew though the sky at a moderate pace. They would be back home before they knew it...and be facing the wrath of the Captain. It was inevitable, it wasn’t like they could run away forever. They could only hope that the punishment wouldn’t be too severe. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Asta thought about what was to come, what kind of punishment the Captain might have in store for them, he glanced over to Izuku. He was staring at the air in front of them, not entirely focused. He had that same look that he did while they were sitting in the clearing, the one where he blanked out for a while. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Were memories coming back? Was he trying to remember something? Or was he just thinking?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Izuku.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You good there?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh? Oh, yeah. Just...thinking.” Izuku shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatcha thinking about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shrugged. “Nothing much really...just...you know thinking.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“About your past?” Asta asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stiffened up before relaxing and giving a small nod. “Yeah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing came back while we were in town? Or in the forest? You were blanked out for a while, I thought something had come back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shook his head. “No, well...maybe? I think something sort of came back, but it was more mundane and nothing really telling. But then it left before I could remember anything else. It’s like…” He sighed, looking up and trying to gather the right words. “Like pieces, I get tiny meaningless pieces that just leave as soon as they come. I never have a concrete image. Whatever I get, I can’t really hang onto it for very long.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta frowned. “That must be frustrating.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It kinda is.” Izuku rubbed the back of his neck “It’s frustrating, but at the same time I’m a little scared that it’s a good thing I can’t remember.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku stayed quiet for a moment, resisting the urge to scratch at the sunburst scars on his arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean by that?” Asta prodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just...I’m a little scared of my past in all honesty. I don’t remember and like I said, I’m scared that it’s a good thing. What if I have a family out there somewhere but...what if they’re not looking for me? What if they don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> me?” As he spoke the broom started to fall a little.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aata was quick to nudge Izuku back to attention, keeping them from falling again. Once they were at a safe altitude Asta started talking again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What would make you think that?” Asta asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I dunno I’m just...there’s the possibility I’m overthinking this. But...I dunno. I just- I don’t know. Because if my family doesn’t want me, they might not even be looking for me, what’s if it’s for the best I don’t remember? But at the same time I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> want to remember because I don’t know anything about myself. Just...ugh. Like I said, I’m probably overthinking this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta shrugged and looked down to see the familiar shape of the hideout. He looked between Izuku and the hideout as he thought over his words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well...if your past was bad, and your family isn’t looking for you then that’s their loss. You’re pretty cool, even if you don’t know anything. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, you’ve got the Black Bulls now, you’re part of this squad. You got a new start, and who knows that may be for the best. But don’t throw that idea of someone looking for you out the window yet, maybe someone out there </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> looking for you and they just don’t know where you are. You never know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku looked down. “Yeah, I guess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta grinned and gave him a light nudge, making him smile for a moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, there’s the hideout.” Asta said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku nodded and started to lower them down to the ground. The lights were still on inside, of course, a lot of the Black Bulls were night owls. There was no way they were getting in undetected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wanna try sneaking in through a window?” Izuku asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, that might not be the best idea. I think that might get us in more trouble.” Asta shook his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough.” Izuku landed and they both got off the broom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both stretched as they listened to the noises of the forest around them. It was peaceful and quiet, a stark contrast to some of the noise from the hideout. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before they started walking to the front doors Asta grabbed Izuku’s arm. “Hey, listen. About earlier...how long was that eating away at you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku gently took his arm back and looked away as he scratched at his face. “Not too long, just...some thought getting out of hand I guess. And then…” Izuku glanced down at his long sleeved tunic. Scars, permanent reminders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Someone hurt him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Izuku shook his head. “I’ll tell you later. We should head inside. If there’s any shred of luck on our side maybe we can get upstairs and not get noticed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Asta stared at him before grinning. “I highly doubt it, but I guess it’s worth a shot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Izuku could respond the front doors burst open, revealing a less than happy Yami.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two dared a glance at each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s about time you two morons got back.” He cracked his knuckles. “I think it’s time we address what happened earlier today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>-.-</b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He crept through the reality without a worry in the world. He knew where his friend was, or at least where he was staying. He couldn’t help but be curious about the world he was in. There was something about it that seemed familiar, though he couldn’t place why.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Perhaps he visited once a long time ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The creature hummed to himself as he approached a lonely area, hidden away from the kingdom. He could feel the presence of others in the area, humans...well </span>
  <em>
    <span>most</span>
  </em>
  <span> of them were humans. There was one he wasn’t too sure of, something felt off about them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Perhaps someone like him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He moved through the thin fabric between the Void and reality with ease, weaving his way past small, miniscule tears that will heal in some time. It wasn’t his duty to seal them up, so why bother?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t understand why we can’t do it now!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He paused to see a man with purple, unkempt hair slam a fist on the table. Unlike the others around him, who were dressed in white robes, he was in rags. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, now what is this?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We simply don’t have the numbers we need. The capital must be in total disarray, even with your magic, it may not be enough to distract all the Magic Knights.” A man with strange markings and dark eyes spoke calmly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Putting the capital in a disarray? Oh please, tell me more.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now now my friend, there’s no need to be so upset. I trust that you’ll gather what you need in due time. We have a few days, and knowing you, you’ll be able to accomplish that quite easily.” The one at the head of the table smiled. He had a serene yet powerful air about him, the one with on off feeling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man rolled his eyes with a huff. “I was hoping to make another big one.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have some time before we attack Rades.” The one in charge repeated. “We must make sure we make the necessary preparations. We’re after one thing here, and it is imperative that we get the magic stone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just don’t get why we have to attack on that day specifically!” Rades shouted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because that will be when we have the biggest advantage. The Magic Knights won’t be expecting it, and the captain we’re targeting will be right where we need him. Those who will be at the Ceremony will be some of the only Magic Knights in the immediate area, and with our friend on the inside it’ll only be them for a while.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Licht is correct Rades. It must be on that day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The creature looked up at that. A ceremony? A few Magic Knights there?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew his friend was under some kind of surveillance, though he couldn’t help but wonder what the chances were he’d be there. If he wasn’t, it may be easier to get him, if he was then he would take advantage of the chaos of course.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to bring his friend home. What kind of person would he be if he just left him to flail about in this strange reality.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Perhaps he could help out with the group’s predicament. It would certainly help him out with his own needs. Plus he was bored, and it’s been a while since he’s caused chaos on a large scale. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He listened to the group converse a little longer before shifting fully into the reality, appearing in the corner of the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My, my, it seems you all need a little help.” His voice echoed in the chamber.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone looked up in shock to see the intruder standing off to the side, a body made of shadows and eyes a bottomless pit of white space. A white marking marred the side of his face, jagged and stretching up to his cheek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It only took a moment for everyone to recover from their shock before they pulled out their grimoires and prepared to attack the stranger. The creature moved forward and slipped into the in between again, and reappeared behind them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now I don’t believe that’s any way to treat a potential ally.” He hummed. He eyed them all, readying himself to slip back into his own space if he had to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been listening for quite some time, hearing your plan about attacking the capital on the day of a ceremony. Sounds quite festive.” He continued, pacing around them. He only grinned at the glares he received. “I have also heard of your little issue, regarding a lack of numbers for your attack. And upon hearing that, I would like to propose a solution of my own, if I may.” He stopped in front of them, clasping his hands together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s this guy supposed to be?” A young woman with an open robe pointed at him. He said nothing as she looked at him with a critical eye. “He looks like a neat specimen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t aware our meetings could be tracked.” The man with the markings scowled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t tracking you, so much as I was wandering around and happened to find this place. A rather nice secluded space isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why do you think we’re gathered here dipshi-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man was cut off when Licht held up a hand, and stared down the intruder. “A potential ally you said? May I ask what your goal is, if you intend to align yourself with us and assist with our attack? It’s not everyday a stranger drops in and asks to help with something like this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Temporarily.” He hummed. “I will be </span>
  <em>
    <span>temporarily </span>
  </em>
  <span>aligning myself with you and your group. I couldn’t care less about what you’re trying to accomplish, but I do acknowledge that the ones you’re keen to attack have someone that I want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” Their leader raised an eyebrow. “And who might that be?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A boy who appeared some time ago, a dear friend of mine. The poor thing is probably flailing about in this world, helpless, afraid. I intend to bring him home, the issue is that he seems to be surrounded by these ‘Magic Knights’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My, how unfortunate.” Licht hummed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, quite. Hence, I believe we can help each other. I can provide you with more firepower, and you have the distraction I need to find and bring my friend home. It sounds like fair trade if you ask me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And why should we trust you?” Rades raised his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you not hear me earlier when I said I couldn’t care less about what your goals are? I have no reason to hinder you if your actions benefit me as well, that would be unwise. But I understand if you don’t want my help, just thought I’d offer a solution to both our problems.” He shrugged and turned away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what kind of assistance can you lend up exactly?” The man with the markings on his face asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t I show you?” He asked, warping the reality around him. Slowly ripping it apart to create a large, dark hole behind him. He could feel energy from the Void spilling over into the world. He didn’t bother to look at their expressions as he turned away and looked into the void. Seeing a multitude of eyes looking back at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could see the creatures, unlike the others. They weren’t able to conceal themselves from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>“</span>
    <span>Go on, show yourselves.</span>
  </span>
  <span><span class="u">”</span> His voice took on a staticy pitch as he commanded the monsters in the Void. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched a few step out into reality, shifting and shuddering to the sudden adjustment before making themselves visible. He heard a small, excited gasp from somewhere behind him. He supposed that was the girl again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He waited a moment before turning to the others again and holding out his arms. “I have a few friends of my own as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the hell are those things supposed to be?” Rades muttered, glaring at all of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me to know, you...not so much.” He shrugged before turning to Licht. “Would these be adequate?” He asked. “I promise you there are many more hiding in there, but I thought these would be enough to show you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Licht stepped forward and looked over one of the monsters with a critical eye. He didn’t flinch as one of them screamed in his face before getting pulled back by the intruder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <span>“</span>
    <span>Behave!</span>
  </span>
  <span><span class="u">”</span> He hissed, sending the creature to cower near the rip with the others.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And these ‘friends’ of yours won’t hurt any of my group yes?” Licht raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course not, I wouldn’t allow it.” He waved a hand to send them away and sealed up the rip. He didn’t need them causing trouble for him the second he looked away. As he looked back to Licht he ignored the burning sensation in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Licht hummed and looked to the other, gauging their reactions. “I suppose we’d be open to having you as a temporary ally.” He looked back to the creature with a smile. “And I suppose it would be proper to introduce ourselves. I am Licht, though I’m sure you may have overheard that. The young lady is Sally, the gentleman-" He motioned to the man with the facial markings "-is Valtos. And that over there is Rades.” He pointed to the angry-looking man in rags. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what might your name be?” Licht asked the stranger and held out his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The creature grinned and took it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am Aleph.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is a reboot of my other fic Shattered Reality, I have a better idea of where I want to go with this fic this time and I have a lot more structure around it. I apologize if you've been waiting for an update on my previous fic.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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